


My Best Friend's Brother

by sleepyscoops



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Secret Crush, drummer!cheol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 04:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17676413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyscoops/pseuds/sleepyscoops
Summary: Soonyoung and Hansol are the smartest kids in school; they're best friends who do everything together.Yet Soonyoung's been keeping a tiny little secret from Hansol: hesorta kinda maybelikes Hansol's big brother, bad boy Seungcheol....





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello i am back!  
> I was the one who wrote [ You Make Me Happy (Meal)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15970226) which was previously on anon hehe i did say that i was gonna post _another_ fic when it reaches 5 kudos but hey as of now it's got 55 kudos so **thank you???**
> 
> anw enough with me rambling
> 
>  
> 
> **THIS FIC CONTAINS: LESS SCIENCE, MORE SEXY CSC, LOTS OF BLUSHING AND FLUFF.**

“Won’t your brother think that we’re annoying?” Ten-year-old Kwon Soonyoung asks his best friend, Choi Hansol, as they walk down the street. It’s a chilly autumn afternoon, right after school, and the two boys are heading to Hansol’s house to do their homework together, which is a mega science project involving the sun, the moon, the stars and lots of glue and crepe paper.

“Who cares what he thinks.” Hansol ignores Soonyoung’s worry, his nose buried deep in a copy of National Geographic magazine. Ever the science enthusiast, Hansol’s always immersing himself in some kind of science experiment or project, whether it’s school-based or not. Hansol’s the embodiment of a young science genius – his uncombed brown hair makes him look like a crazy scientist - and Soonyoung’s always been his sidekick in his wacky experiments, helping him in building a rocket fuelled by Coke and Mentos, or setting up his home to run solely on potato energy (which barely worked out in the end). Yes, Hansol and Soonyoung are your resident elementary school science geeks, which is the exact reason Hansol’s older brother, Seungcheol finds them annoying.

Fifteen-year-old Choi Seungcheol is the average teenage wannabe rocker, half-protective of his baby brother and his best friend, but mostly annoyed when he found out they weren’t going to be as cool as he is. Soonyoung has always found Seungcheol intimidating, with his floppy black hair falling into his eyes, and piercing dark stare; and he never has anything nice to say – his teen hormones making him snap out the snarkiest remarks at any given time. Whenever he isn’t in the kitchen scrounging around for snacks and pointedly ignoring Soonyoung and Hansol, he’d be in the garage, pounding on his drum kit like an angry ape (just how Hansol had put it). Soonyoung never wants to get on Seungcheol’s bad side, though most of the time, Seungcheol barely even looks at him.

“So we’re really going to make a giant 3D inforgraphic about the solar system.” Soonyoung says.

“Yes. That’s why we need to use the garage. Mum would be livid if we make a mess in the living room or kitchen; and we need the space too.” Hansol replies, still reading his magazine; barely paying attention to where he’s going.

The garage. Where Seungcheol’s band – Hard Top - practice, every day after school, which would be right about now. Being a bunch of amateur high schoolers, Hard Top isn’t the best band around: they mostly play covers, which really is a cacophony of sounds. If Soonyoung found Seungcheol intimidating, then the rest of the band would be straight-out frightening to him; a bunch of teen wannabe rockers trying to grow their greasy hair out like Kurt Cobain, though not half as talented. Seungcheol’s the drummer in the mediocre band, who could hold a decent beat while his mates would be messing around with their electric guitars and amplifiers, screeching loud feedback that disrupt the peace of the middle-class upscale neighbourhood where Hansol and Seungcheol live with their parents.

Soonyoung isn’t musically inclined, though he likes the occasional teenybop earworm – generic overplayed pop music that Seungcheol and his band would denounce in a heartbeat. But sometimes, when Hansol’s too occupied with his infinite science magazines and textbooks, Soonyoung would peek into the garage when Hard Top is practicing just to glimpse Seungcheol playing the drums. 

Seungcheol may be scary, but he’s kind of cool, too; as a drummer – the way he pounds out a steady beat for his bandmates to follow, the quick motions as he taps the hi-hat in double time; in short, his overall playing technique, so strong and powerful, almost merging with the drums as one being when he plays; which sends funny butterflies flying around in Soonyoung’s tummy.

Soonyoung and Hansol are now walking along a tree-lined avenue; Hansol’s neighbourhood. This time of the afternoon, there are only a few cars driving down the road. It’s a calm area, at least until Hard Top shares their loud music with the world. Soonyoung’s already worrying about it later – Hansol wants to do their science project in the garage, where Hard Top would be practicing; and he knows that it wouldn’t sit well with the teenagers, having two boys (science nerds, to top it off) mess around in the garage with them, talking about the formation of stars or something equally complicated.

Hansol’s house is just across the road, a cosy double-storey bungalow that’s also Soonyoung’s second home, since he spends most of his time there. Without thinking, Soonyoung steps onto the asphalt; Hansol blindly following right behind him, still reading his science magazine. 

“Hey!” A pizza delivery motorbike is headed right at Soonyoung, its rider tooting the horn to catch the boy’s attention. As if in slow motion, Soonyoung glances at the motorbike in horror, his small eyes widening at the prospect of being flattened like a pizza crust onto the street. His limbs are frozen; his fight or flight response malfunctioning. His brain is yelling at him to leap out of the motorcycle’s path of motion, but he stares at it like a deer caught in the headlights, almost accepting the fate that he’s about to get run over.  

But right then, someone grabs Soonyoung’s arm, and drags him back to the roadside. The rider of the bike screeches to a stop, shocked by the near-miss; while Soonyoung collides with someone’s chest - someone taller and stronger than him. He slowly looks up, meeting Choi Seungcheol’s dark eyes, then he quickly looks down again, feeling scared and shocked and grateful at the same time.   

Seungcheol had saved his life, looking less like a knight in his rumpled school uniform with his tie loosened, and his ratty hi-tops. Next to him, Hansol’s unperturbed by the whole episode – oblivious that his best friend was almost run over by a bike – still reading about turtles in his magazine, like nothing had happened.

“Kid okay?” The pizza delivery guy calls out. Seungcheol merely nods, and apologises on Soonyoung’s behalf. With a shrug, the delivery guy flicks down the visor on his helmet and zooms down the road, probably late for a delivery.

“For someone so smart, you’re still an idiot, mochi.” Seungcheol grumbles, staring down at Soonyoung, whose cheeks turn bright red. “And how many times did Mum tell you not to read when walking down the road?” Seungcheol turns to his little brother and snatches his magazine away, rolling it up and stuffing it into his back pocket; only to be met with protest from Hansol.

“Gimme my magazine back!” Hansol tries to grab it back, but Seungcheol, who’s bigger, easily stops him, gripping the boy’s skinny arm.

“Not until you learn how to cross the road safely.” Seungcheol says with an air of finality. Though his words are meant for his little brother, his gaze lingers on Soonyoung for a few seconds too long.  

“C’mon. Let’s get home.” Seungcheol stands between the two boys, reaching for their hands. Soonyoung likes the way Seungcheol’s calloused fingers close around his, feeling safe and secure, as the teen leads the two boys across the road safely after looking both ways, making sure there aren’t any more speeding vehicles around.

The second they step on the pavement on the other side of the road, Hansol wriggles away from his brother, wiping his hands on his pants, trying to get rid of Seungcheol’s germs.

“Be careful next time.” Seungcheol pats Soonyoung’s mochi cheek before he walks off.

“We can totally cross the road on our own!” Hansol says indignantly, after his big brother.

“Whatever. I’m not being paid to babysit you kids.” Seungcheol rolls his eyes, and vanishes indoors.

Hansol sticks his tongue out at his brother’s disappearing silhouette. “What a meanie.”

As it turns out, Seungcheol’s always there to help Soonyoung and Hansol cross the road for the next few years, right until Seungcheol graduates high school. Of course, being preteens themselves, Hansol and Soonyoung grow out of the hand-holding; though Seungcheol occasionally keeps a protective arm around Soonyoung’s shoulders when they cross the road together.

He’s just being nice, Soonyoung thinks every time; trying to convince his racing heart to slow down, watching Seungcheol disappear into the garage to practice his drums, which never really gets better over time.

Over the years, Seungcheol transforms into a delectable young man, oozing with handsomeness and sexy charms that attracts humans of every gender, and he’s always got someone hanging around the Choi residence, having tongue wars on every surface imaginable. Male, female, non-binary… Seungcheol’s tasted them all, and Soonyoung can’t help but think how experienced Seungcheol would be in _that_ department.

Nothing could be more awkward in bumping into one of Seungcheol’s partners whenever Soonyoung comes over to hang out with Hansol. He’d suggested that they study at the library to avoid Seungcheol at home, but Hansol prefers the relative safety of his own house so that he doesn’t have to trade germs with strangers.

(Ironic, because that’s exactly what his brother is doing at home with half of the teenage population living in town.)

You’d think that seeing Seungcheol change partners regularly would extinguish Soonyoung’s feelings, but his heart always leaps in joy, skipping a beat whenever he sees Seungcheol’s silhouette stalking the hallways. Even with that little ache in his chest when Soonyoung glimpses Seungcheol making out with anyone, he’s still hopelessly in love with his best friend’s big brother.

Soonyoung’s now sixteen, the golden age of being young and confused, dealing with so many different things – school, being the co-organiser for this year’s science fair, and his lifelong crush on his best friend’s brother. Everything reminds him of Seungcheol, even the root beer in the drinks section of the convenience store. He’s shopping for snacks for Hansol and himself, cradling some munchies in his arms – fuel for a marathon discussion session to organise the school science fair at the Choi residence, where undoubtedly, he’d run into the fine human specimen named Choi Seungcheol. It’s a weird analogy; but Seungcheol’s a majestic piece of art, and Soonyoung’s the curious schoolkid who wants to touch him. Hansol would be the grumpy old curator keeping an eye out for naughty kids like Soonyoung who might just taint the way of how things should be – in short, Soonyoung would never tell Hansol about his insufferable crush on Seungcheol, because it’s potentially awkward and could harm their friendship: Hansol resents his brother the most.

One more year, Soonyoung tells himself. One more year to finish high school, then leave this damn town for college forever so he can forget about Choi freaking Seungcheol.

“Hey, mochi.”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear…

Hearing that familiar voice, Soonyoung almost drops the banana milk that he’s holding. Right behind him is Choi Seungcheol, his best friend’s big brother, the star of his wet dreams since freshman year. A large hand rests on his shoulder, turning him around; and Soonyoung’s suddenly faced with Seungcheol, who’s all dressed up in an almost translucent white t-shirt, hinting at his well-developed pecs barely hidden underneath, and ripped jeans that hug his legs (and ass) in all the right places. He looks like he'd just left a photoshoot for one of those preppy upscale brands with his tousled hair, but that’s the ironic part – Seungcheol absolutely loathes those kinds of people; the gorgeous, airbrushed people of the world who cares about nothing but looking hot in designer pieces that cost as much as food aid for a small third world country.

It’s weird, seeing Seungcheol at the convenience store, of all places, and before noon on a weekend, too. But what makes it even weirder is seeing Seungcheol dressed – Soonyoung’s gotten used to seeing him strutting around half naked at home if he’s not making out with someone, showing off his well-defined upper body; his pants hanging dangerously low on his hips. Just thinking about it is giving Soonyoung a nosebleed, zoning off in the middle of the cashier queue. For Choi Seungcheol to acknowledge him in a public area is a miracle by itself….

“You coming over?” Seungcheol says, breaking into Soonyoung’s thoughts, nodding toward the banana milk and the assortment of chips that Soonyoung’s holding.

“Science project.” Soonyoung mumbles, lowering his gaze. He notices that Seungcheol’s fly is barely zipped up; his private bits almost on display for the world to see, if one angled their gaze correctly. Soonyoung immediately looks away, meeting Seungcheol’s dark brown eyes for a millisecond, and he suddenly feels dizzy.

Seungcheol exhales, rolling his eyes. “Every single year.”

“It’s for college.” Soonyoung’s unsure where to look, and he settles his gaze on the lollipop display right behind Seungcheol’s head. A few seconds tick by, and Soonyoung keeps a fake smile on his face, waiting for Seungcheol to reply with a snide remark about the nerdy college that Soonyoung’s going to apply to – Seungcheol himself is too cool for college, still chasing wildly after the dream of becoming a professional drummer, much to his parents’ consternation.

“It’s your turn, mochi.”

“Oh.” Soonyoung hurriedly places his purchases on the cashier counter – he has no business of staying around, and he’s got to get to Hansol for their mega important Discussion soon. _Hands off the art. Hands off the art…_

He fishes for his wallet in his back pocket to count the exact change, trying to ignore Seungcheol.

“We’re paying together.” Seungcheol cuts in smoothly, placing a jumbo box of condoms next to Soonyoung’s banana milk. The cashier freezes for a second, stunned by Seungcheol’s beauty, but she casts a quick look at the condoms, then at Soonyoung and Seungcheol, her brain making a quick assumption before she resumes her work. The expression on her face gives Soonyoung a hint of what she might be thinking: these two are definitely going at it like rabbits…

Soonyoung’s mortified, the tips of his ears turning red. He can feel Seungcheol’s presence right behind him; leaning in close to whisper in his ear, and he almost forgets to breathe.

“Could you help me pay this time? I’m short on cash.”

The audacity!

Soonyoung can’t say no, so he pays for Seungcheol’s condoms, too, handing over the money to the cashier with his face burning red.

The cashier starts packing Soonyoung’s purchases into a plastic bag, but Seungcheol quickly swoops in and plucks his box of condoms away, stalking out of the store with the paid item. Soonyoung quickly thanks the cashier without making eye contact, grabbing his purchased snacks and leaving the store, just to bump into Seungcheol once more on the pavement outside.

“Wanna ride?” Seungcheol’s leaning against his car, which is precariously parked by the kerb. He’s even chewing some gum, the late morning sunlight illuminating his god-like features like a natural spotlight, looking like art that descended straight from heaven…

_Hands off the art, Kwon!_

“I’ve got my bike.” Soonyoung gulps, staring at his feet.

“Well then. See you around, mochi.” Seungcheol smirks, sliding into his car. He drives away, leaving Soonyoung behind in a plume of smoke, probably off to test out the condoms he’d just bought with Soonyoung’s money.

Soonyoung wants to scream his heart out right there in the middle of the busy street, angry at how Seungcheol had just used him. Half of his pocket money, gone just like that, funding Seungcheol’s sexcapades with nameless groupies who swarm him shamelessly every time.  

But still, it had been dangerously sexy, the way Seungcheol had whispered in his ear, extorting his money. His overall presence exudes nothing but charm, making Soonyoung’s heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s.

Despite what Seungcheol had done, Soonyoung still has a stupid crush on his best friend’s big brother, overanalysing the way Seungcheol had greeted him, though in retrospect, the only reason Seungcheol did that was to use Soonyoung’s money to pay for the bloody condoms. Things like this would simply disgust other people, but despite his anger, Soonyoung could never think negatively of Seungcheol. Yes, he’s still stupidly in love with a prick who doesn’t even see him more than an ATM machine!

He needs to tell someone about this right now, but he’s certainly not going to tell Hansol, of course. His brain is going to explode with the pent-up emotions, and having brain tissue splattered all over the sidewalk is a hundred percent gross.

With trembling fingers, Soonyoung pulls his phone out of his pocket, and taps out a desperate text to his back-up best friend Jihoon.

Even if Jihoon says no, Soonyoung’s going to tell him anyway. Maybe not about buying the condoms, just the overall picture of his crush on Choi Seungcheol.

Soonyoung’s practically spamming Jihoon, pouring his heart out; and not even Jihoon’s lack of response can stop him. It feels good, letting someone else know the dirty little secret he’s been carrying all these years; which makes him realise that his silly crush on Seungcheol’s getting worse. He’s breathing hard, once he’s done typing it all out; his heart is racing, waiting for Jihoon to reply.

Jihoon usually has the best solution to everything; but he’s clearly not taking this seriously, revelling in Soonyoung’s misery. But right then, Hansol texts him.

Soonyoung quickly flicks back to his conversation with Jihoon after sending a quick, innocent reply to his best friend. He’s got to hurry, because he doesn’t want to make Hansol wait for too long. Jihoon’s typing a bit slow, as his speech bubble flickers on the screen. Soonyoung knows he’s in quite a pickle, if Jihoon’s hesitating with his response, because Jihoon always tells it like it is, never beating around the bushes.

So the girl who’s been hanging around the Choi residence lately, sucking face with Seungcheol every free moment is Jihoon’s sister. How much worse could things turn out? Everyone in town knows what a player Seungcheol is; a little fact that makes Hansol uncomfortable, though he makes it a point to never interfere with his big brother’s scandalous love life.

The way Seungcheol cycles through numerous partners – males and females alike – had always made Soonyoung feel a little insecure: he’d never get out of the role of being Hansol’s best friend in Seungcheol’s eyes. Maybe he isn’t destined to be with Seungcheol; and the thought breaks his heart even more.     

Jihoon’s words holds the truth, yes, with this stupid crush on Choi Seungcheol, Soonyoung’s royally fucked. The incredible impact of Choi Seungcheol, fucking around with Soonyoung’s feelings, even if he never realises it himself.

But talking to Hansol about this matter? Hansol may be his best friend, but this is one thing that Soonyoung can’t figure out how to tell him. Soonyoung sighs - the whole point of telling Jihoon was so that he could avoid telling Hansol about his big ole crush on his gorgeous big brother.

A notification pops out of nowhere, and Soonyoung blindly vents out at Jihoon, pressing the send button a little harder than necessary.

Soonyoung freezes, blinking at his phone screen. Hansol had just texted him – that was the notification – and Soonyoung had accidentally sent the message intended for Jihoon to Hansol instead. Choi Hansol, his best friend since fourth grade; Choi Hansol, whose older brother is the biggest yet hottest prick in town, breaking hearts everywhere, Soonyoung’s included.

Panicking, Soonyoung selects the correct chat he’d been having with Jihoon, quickly sending out an SOS.

Soonyoung attaches a screenshot of his chat with Hansol to Jihoon, who’s probably dying of laughter on the other side. His face feels hot; he’d been standing on the pavement texting Jihoon about his crisis for about a while now.

Reading back his last text to Hansol, Soonyoung’s feels extremely horrified (even more, compared when he bought Seungcheol a pack of condoms earlier). It’s crystal clear, in all caps – that’s exactly what he wants to do, kiss his best friend’s big brother. He’s not too sure how Hansol would feel about that, given Seungcheol’s flirty bad-boy behaviour. Plus, the little note from Hansol about his brother and his band essentially means that Seungcheol and his band are ‘practicing’ in the garage, which is code for having an orgy.

Soonyoung’s phone vibrates with a notification, and he almost drops the device. His hands are trembling, hoping that Hansol would take his last two texts with a grain of salt – he’ll have to make up an excuse about it. But the texts are from Jihoon, with his worthless two cents about Soonyoung’s mistake.

Soonyoung lowers his phone and mulls Jihoon’s idea over. Maybe he could give Seungcheol a little smooch, and maybe then his crush would go away.

No, that’s a bad idea; and Jihoon’s probably the wrong person to approach for relationship advice.

Still, it sounds tempting, locking lips with the town’s bad boy, whom he’s had a crush on since middle school. But under what circumstances would Seungcheol agree to kiss Soonyoung, who’s only his little brother’s nerdy best friend?

Not in this lifetime, probably – it’ll probably remain as a pipe dream for him.

Soonyoung mounts his bike with a sigh. He’d been stalling for a while now; and Hansol would be waiting for him to discuss about the science fair.

It takes him ten minutes to reach the Choi residence, a familiar house located in an upper middle class neighbourhood that he’s been visiting regularly ever since he was a child. A cacophony of sounds – ‘music’ by Seungcheol’s band, Hard Top – emanates from the garage, implying that band practice is well underway. Soonyoung parks his bicycle in the front yard and lets himself inside; heading straight for the kitchen where Hansol is sitting, surrounded by a stack of papers on the counter. Hansol really prefers working in the kitchen rather than inside his stuffy room; being surrounded by the fridge and the dishwasher and numerous other kitchen appliances stimulates his brain. 

“Got us some snacks.” Soonyoung drops the plastic bag of food he’d bought from the convenience store earlier in front of Hansol.

“Nice. Thanks, buddy.” Hansol grins, pulling out a bag of chips; and a receipt falls out. Soonyoung quickly intercepts it, stuffing it into his pocket, hoping that Hansol won’t notice. There’s incriminating evidence on that piece of paper – how would he explain the purchase of a jumbo box of condoms? He’ll have to burn the receipt soon, but for now, he takes a deep breath and focuses on the task at hand – organising the science fair.

They immediately get sucked into a productive discussion surrounding logistics, and science projects that nothing could interrupt them (no, not even Seungcheol grabbing a couple of drinks from the fridge, though Soonyoung did peek; he looked absolutely lovely with sweat trickling down the side of his face, and Soonyoung wanted to give him a tissue). They lose track of time, and by dinnertime, they’ve got papers filled with notes – yes, it’s been a satisfying afternoon getting some work done.

Hansol orders a pizza for the both of them, as his parents had left for their date night; and they chat about number theory over dinner when it arrives. As he chews his food, Soonyoung hopes that Seungcheol would pop into the kitchen, but he never does. Oh well, maybe his luck has run out, since Seungcheol had talked to him at the convenience store earlier.

Soonyoung checks his watch – it’s just past nine o’clock, and it’s a school night, so he’s got to leave soon. “I’m gonna go.”

“We’ll talk to Mrs Jung about these tomorrow.” Hansol tucks a neatly written checklist into his folder – they’ve got to run their plans with their science teacher, who’s also their advisor in this particular project. Hopefully it’ll all get approved, so their hard work today would pay off.

“Night.” Soonyoung shoulders his backpack and heads out of the kitchen. Hansol gives him a little parting wave, then goes back to the calculus problems he’s doing for extra credit.

Always the overachiever, Choi Hansol. Soonyoung shakes his head at his best friend’s studious nature.

There’s some smooth jazz music playing in the living room; and the telltale sound of a couple making out on the couch: lips smacking, and little sexual moans and giggles. While Soonyoung and Hansol had been studying in the kitchen, Seungcheol’s sexing it up to the max with his partner of the week (or more accurately, partner of the month, since his current partner has been around for a while now; a bit of a miracle for Seungcheol).

Choi Seungcheol can have an ounce of romance in his bones if he wants to, and man, Jihoon’s sister is a lucky girl – Soonyoung would do whatever to be in her shoes right now. He stands there, rooted to his spot, gaping at the couple writhing and grinding on the couch, hands all over each other – every second getting even steamier, that it almost turns Soonyoung on.

He knows he shouldn’t be here; he’s intruding a private moment. But just as he turns to leave, his huge backpack knocks against a side table, sending a tchotchke bouncing down to the floor. Startled by the sound, the couple stops kissing, and Seungcheol lifts his head up, immediately seeing Soonyoung’s shocked face. His eyes are unfocused, dazed with pheromones; and he looks like he’s about to abandon his gorgeous partner and jump Soonyoung instead.

Seungcheol blinks a couple of times, his sex-addled brain slowly registering Soonyoung’s presence. He looks like he’s going to say something, but his unsaid words are left hanging in the air, as his partner pulls him back for another messy French kiss.

Things are really heating up, suggestive moans and giggles arising from the couch. Soonyoung flees before he gets to witness porn with his own eyes, starring Choi Seungcheol and Jihoon’s sister.

Make it four times, Jihoon, Soonyoung thinks; as he leaves the Choi residence.

* * *

“Oi, Kwon.”

Soonyoung doesn’t dare to look straight at Jihoon’s face – he’d had a rough night, thinking about Choi Seungcheol and Jihoon’s sister having sex, which was what they’d probably been doing last night. School starts in five minutes, but Soonyoung can’t wait to go home and cleanse his brain from dirty thoughts by watching food videos on YouTube.

“You look horrible.” Jihoon plops onto the seat next to Soonyoung, who starts fidgeting nervously, shooting a half-hearted smile at his back up best friend.

“Mrs Jung wants me to help you and Hansol organise the science fair for extra credit.” Jihoon’s saying, but Soonyoung’s not paying attention, gripping his file so tightly that his knuckles turn white. “Are you even listening, Kwon?”

Jihoon gives Soonyoung a gentle shove, but he topples over, falling onto the floor with a loud smack.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jihoon frowns, as their classmates goggle at them, trying to find out what just happened.

“N-nothing!” Soonyoung squeaks, getting back to his feet, though his knees feel like jelly.

“Whatever, I’m gonna talk to Hansol about this.” Jihoon sighs. Soonyoung’s being extra jittery, and he doesn’t have time to deal with it.

Soonyoung reaches out, grabbing Jihoon’s shoulder to stop him from leaving. “DON’T TELL HIM!” His voice is shrill and a bit louder than he wants it to be, grabbing attention from a few people around them.

“If this is about Hansol’s brother…”

“And your sister!” Soonyoung blurts out, feeling nauseous.

Jihoon sighs. “That’s really none of my business, Kwon.” He pauses. “But at the rate Choi Seungcheol is dicking my sister, I might become an uncle soon.”

“Oh, congratulations...” Soonyoung slumps onto his desk, already imagining little Seungcheols running around the Choi residence, all calling him Uncle Soonyoung, begging for candy. Jihoon and Hansol would be brother-in-laws, and Soonyoung doesn’t think he’d have the strength to attend the wedding if he’s invited…

“I was being sarcastic.” Jihoon says. “You sure you don’t need to go to the nurse’s office or something? I don’t want you to faint on me.”

“I-I’m fine.”

“I’m just gonna talk to Hansol about the science fair.” Jihoon says after a pause.

“Please don’t tell him about Seungcheol.” Soonyoung begs helplessly, on the verge of tears.

Jihoon presses his lips together, tensing up at the mention of the older Choi. “Fine.” He heads over to Hansol, who’s sitting in the front row, reading a thick book about quantum physics. Soonyoung trails after Jihoon, just in case his back up best friend would spill the beans to his best friend. The boys have to poke Hansol a couple of times before he looks up at his friends with a receptive smile, oblivious towards Soonyoung’s nervousness and Jihoon’s agitation.

Jihoon directly tells Hansol about extra credit and helping them organise the science fair, while Soonyoung twiddles his thumbs nervously next to him. Hansol doesn’t give much thought about Jihoon joining their little group, and immediately invites Jihoon to hang out after school; to which Jihoon agrees.

Soonyoung starts sweating profusely. Good idea or bad idea?

He’s scared about Jihoon meeting Seungcheol, given his nasty impression of the drummer. Or what if Jihoon, with his no-nonsense, straight to the point demeanour, tells Seungcheol about his crush the second they meet - somewhere along the lines of, _‘Oh, hello Hansol’s brother, Soonyoung has a crush on you!’_ , Soonyoung imagines.

He spends the rest of the school day being a nervous wreck, barely paying attention in his lessons; thinking about all the possible disasters that could take place that afternoon at the Choi residence.

When the final bell rings, letting students out for the day, Soonyoung prays that Jihoon would suddenly conveniently forget about their meeting at the Choi residence. He trails closely behind Hansol as they leave the classroom together, keeping an eagle eye out for Jihoon.

Jihoon’s barely visible among the crowd of students flooding the hallways… and he’s already waiting by Hansol’s locker, gaming on his Nintendo. 

Damn it.

The three of them walk back to Hansol’s house, which is just a few blocks away. Hansol’s feeling energised, talking about the day’s chemistry lesson on polymers to Jihoon and Soonyoung. He’s happy now that there are three of them organising the science fair, instead of two, so maybe they’ll get things done more efficiently this time.

As Hansol leads their little group up the front steps to his house, digging in his bag for the keys, Soonyoung starts to feel nervous at the prospect of seeing Seungcheol again – what if he’s making out with Jihoon’s sister in the living room right now? That would certainly set Jihoon off, and Soonyoung knows how explosive Jihoon’s anger can be.

The house is quiet as Hansol unlocks the front door, heading straight towards the kitchen - his sanctuary, where he generates his best ideas. Soonyoung peeks into the living room - empty. The garage door is slightly ajar, but the lights are off.

For once, Seungcheol isn’t home, and Soonyoung’s not sure whether he should feel relieved or disappointed.

The three boys set up base at the kitchen counter, as usual; and Hansol and Jihoon immediately dive into the tasks they need to do for the science fair. Jihoon turns out to be an excellent addition to their team, being a perfectionist, never overlooking the tiniest of details as Soonyoung tends to do. Within seconds, Jihoon and Hansol are absorbed into a deep discussion about setting a full-scale rocket as the centrepiece for the science fair, which Soonyoung would be interested in, but not today.

Soonyoung opens up the fridge, grabbing some soda for himself and his friends; happy to kick back and let Jihoon help Hansol, but he immediately gets tasked with something so mundane but inherently important to their discussion that he can’t simply sit back and daydream about a certain Choi…

Time flies when you’re immersed in your work; and soon it’s late afternoon - their discussion only stops when Hansol gets hungry. They’re about to order takeout, when Soonyoung hears the front door open; voices coming in from the hallway. It’s not the gruff tone of Hansol’s father, but the silky smooth baritone of Seungcheol sweet talking whoever’s with him. 

“Han, you in here?” Seungcheol calls out for his brother - an extremely rare occasion, which makes Hansol tense up. Seungcheol clearly wants something, and he appears in the kitchen, wearing a button-up shirt that Soonyoung never expected for him to own.

Choi Seungcheol in casual wear? Heart-fluttering.

Choi Seungcheol half-naked? Nosebleed.

Choi Seungcheol in semi-formal? Rest in peace, Kwon Soonyoung.

“Jihoonie?” A female’s voice calls out, and Seungcheol’s current partner - Jihoon’s sister - enters right behind her boyfriend, looking like a model, wearing a beautiful, flowy summer dress. “What are you doing here?”

Jihoon blanches when he sees his sister clinging to Seungcheol. “Studying.” His sister smiles proudly at him, and Soonyoung can see why Seungcheol’s dating (?) her - she’s absolutely beautiful, with potential to become the next Adriana Lima, strutting down a flashy catwalk (if Jihoon finds out that Soonyoung is likening his sister to a lingerie model, he’d be dead).

“I didn’t know you were friends with Cheollie’s brother.” Jihoon’s sister is saying, her lilting voice almost sounding like a lullaby.

“Now you know.” Jihoon mutters, and flinches when his sister ruffles his hair, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Hey.” Seungcheol looms next to his Hansol, giving off an intimidating aura, that Soonyoung feels like hiding himself in the freezer, even though Seungcheol’s not even addressing him. 

“What do you want?” Hansol asks, keeping his head down, never looking at his brother.

“I’m just gonna borrow the keys to the summerhouse.” Seungcheol says, striding away. He takes a bunch of keys from the basket sitting on top of the fridge. “Don’t tell Dad.”

Hansol simply watches his brother silently as he leaves with his girlfriend, whispering sweet nothings into her ear; and Jihoon pretends to throw up behind their backs.

“He never goes to the summerhouse with anyone.” Hansol says quietly. The thought sinks in among the three boys, about what the couple might just do in the relative privacy of the Choi summerhouse, located in a sleepy little lakeside town, a few hours’ drive away from the city.

No one says anything for a while; the awkwardness still thickly hanging in the air.

“I just can’t wait to leave for college so I don’t have to live with my brother anymore.” Hansol declares.

“Me too.” Soonyoung mumbles – he’d been seeing Seungcheol every day for the past nine years, so it feels like the same thing.

Hansol laughs. “You’re lucky, you don’t live with him.” Soonyoung quickly glances at his best friend, who’s unsuspecting, as always. “Alright guys, let’s get to work.”

Soonyoung’s distracted for the next fifteen minutes while Hansol and Jihoon discuss some work. He excuses himself to go to the bathroom; just because he knows that he won’t get anything done, sitting there with the younger siblings of the two people currently occupying his mind.  

Locking himself inside, Soonyoung twists the faucet on the sink, and starts splashing cold water onto his face. “Focus.”

Images of Seungcheol with Jihoon’s sister pop into his mind again, corrupting his thoughts, and he starts hyperventilating, hunched over the sink with the tap still on. He stares at his reflection in the mirror: his face is beet-red, with droplets of water dripping down his chin, and his eyes look wild as he breathes heavily, his chest heaving.

The Soonyoung in the mirror doesn’t look like the normal Soonyoung at all. A wild angry mess, giving off an intense aura that he never knows he’s capable of.

Maybe he’s jealous.

_Jealousy…_

Soonyoung turns away from the mirror, trying to calm himself down. He’d never been jealous of any of Seungcheol’s partners, ever. But this time, it’s different – it seems like notorious playboy Choi Seungcheol is about to settle down with a very lucky person, who just happens to be related to one of his friends.

He should be happy that Seungcheol’s happy. It’s none of his business, really, to keep track of who Seungcheol hooks up with. Soonyoung breathes deeply for a few counts, then tries to look on the bright side with a smile, although he knows it’s fake. Maybe there would be better things waiting ahead – maybe he could learn to get over his stupid childhood crush on his best friend’s big brother. Maybe he’ll find someone who really likes him and loves how cute and adorable he is and they’ll live happily ever after – the end! No more Choi Seungcheol!  

“I’m so cute, what do I do?” He presses his hands onto his cheeks, squishing them, trying to cheer himself up.

Mochi cheeks.

Mochi – Seungcheol’s nickname for him since grade school.

 _Mochimochimochimochimochi_. He repeats the word, as he squishes his cheeks over and over, marvelling at how naturally pliant they are, like Play-Doh.

“Soonyoung, dude, you okay?” Hansol calls out, which scares Soonyoung out of his skin. His cheeks turn red, like he’d been caught, even though Hansol probably thinks he’s got a bad tummy ache or something, hogging the ceramic throne of the toilet.

“Five minutes!” Soonyoung replies back, splashing more cold water onto his face. He quickly wipes his face with a towel hanging off a hook behind the door, ignoring the fact that half of his shirt is wet.

He pauses, recognising the scent – a blend of antibacterial soap, and a light hint of familiar musk that can only point him to one person: Seungcheol.

He’d never be truly free of Seungcheol’s clutches, not in this house.

And is that what his _dick_ smells like?

Soonyoung takes another sniff, and it’s the same scent like before, so he can’t really tell. But still, if this is the towel that Seungcheol uses to dry himself off after a shower, then his penis must’ve touched the towel at some point, right? It takes a couple of seconds for his brain to compute these facts before he lets out a yell, jumping backwards, like he’d just touched something radioactive.

“Soonyoung?” Hansol’s standing outside the bathroom door, wondering what made his best friend shout so loudly.

Right at that second, Soonyoung drags the door open, and he immediately faces his best friend. “No worries. I was just testing the acoustics in this bathroom…it’s quite excellent! You could hold a concert in here!” He laughs, though he knows he sounds fake.

Hansol gives him an odd look, but he doesn’t ask anything further.

“Come on, buddy!” Soonyoung wraps an arm around Hansol’s shoulder. He grins widely in relief; he’d just dodged a bullet there… “Let’s get down to business!” 

Choi Hansol must not know.


	2. Chapter 2

Ah, schnitballs, Soonyoung thinks.

Normally, Soonyoung would walk home with Hansol after school (routine since their elementary school days), but his best friend had been called in by their science teacher Mrs Jung about publishing some research article in a scientific journal. Since Soonyoung’s not involved, he’d left early; and his efforts to find Jihoon for some back-up company had failed – maybe Jihoon’s avoiding him - so here he is, standing alone outside Hansol’s house.

And now Hansol’s decided to make a pit stop at the library, and who knows what time he’d return, considering the fact that he’d be surrounded by hundreds of books. 

Soonyoung fires off a quick text to Jihoon, asking for his whereabouts, but he doesn’t reply in two seconds, so he gives up waiting. The three of them are supposed to discuss more details for the school science fair, which is scheduled for the week after, and they’d agreed to meet up at Hansol’s. It’s in the middle of the day, and Hansol’s parents would still be at work, and without Hansol around, how could Soonyoung get inside?

The faint beat of drums and smash of cymbals could be heard from the garage, as if answering Soonyoung’s monologue.

Of course, Seungcheol would be home, being the jobless wannabe rockstar he is. Soonyoung assumes that his band and groupies would be hanging around, doing whatever wannabe rockstars do. Sweat trickles down the side of Soonyoung’s face – those people aren’t that nice, and he doesn’t want to face them.  The Choi residence suddenly looks imposing, unwelcome; and Soonyoung feels like going home to hide under his blankets. He’d rather sit on the porch and wait for Hansol to return instead of asking Seungcheol to let him in. He’d wait forever, if that’s what it takes, as long as he doesn’t have to talk to Choi freaking Seungcheol.

He sits down with a huff, glancing around the tree-lined avenue, dried leaves rustling around on the ground as a gentle wind sweeps through the quiet neighbourhood. It’s a gorgeous afternoon; exceptionally perfect weather to sit in front of your best friend’s house, with the afternoon sun shining, playing hide and seek behind fluffy clouds that decorate the brilliant blue sky.

Yes, Soonyoung could sit outside here for hours, and he doesn’t need to depend on Choi Seungcheol to let him inside.

The strong beat of a bass drum can be heard from the garage, almost thumping in sync with Soonyoung’s heart. He’s at ease with the world, but he’s still on edge, knowing that Seungcheol’s banging on his drums loud enough for the neighbours to hear. Soonyoung snaps away from reality, already imagining Seungcheol beating his drums with such passion in slow motion and 4K resolution, sweat glinting off his toned body like shimmering diamonds; the ripple of his muscles as he drums out a complicated rhythm with a constant beat from the snare drum and crashing cymbals, looking like a rockstar.

Oh, what a sight that would be…

Five minutes of waiting, and Soonyoung can’t take it anymore – he marches over to the garage, putting his game face on. He’ll have to bear with the egotistical members of Hard Top, who’ve always been teasing him and Hansol for being science nerds; but he doesn’t want to sit at the front door when he knows that someone (read: Seungcheol) can let him inside.

There’s a weird fluttery feeling in his chest as he knocks on the door. The prospect of seeing Seungcheol again is making his heart beat erratically – if someone hooks him up to an ECG machine, all his readings would go haywire. He stands there dumbly for five minutes, listening to the loud drum solo emanating from inside (or is that his heart, beating a little too loudly?); and he tries to knock again, this time louder.

When the garage door opens, Soonyoung almost faints – Seungcheol, in all of his sweaty, shirtless glory greets him with a raised eyebrow and a tiny smirk, holding a pair of drumsticks.

He’s alone, and he’d been properly practicing the drums; building up some decent skills. Unlike the rest of his band members, Seungcheol actually has a shot to make it in the music industry as a drummer…or at least, that’s what Soonyoung’s (biased) opinion is.

“What’s up, mochi?” Seungcheol has a towel wrapped around his neck, wiping of droplets of sweat off his face and neck. The tips of his hair are damp, too, hanging into his eyes; and Soonyoung’s tempted to reach out and push it back, but he restrains himself, balling his hands into fists. His heart is beating irrationally fast, as it does whenever he’s around Seungcheol; who’s looking at him curiously, as if waiting for something... Oh, he asked a question – brain, answer!

“Hansol’s not back yet.” Soonyoung offers a vague explanation.

“Oh, you’re here for that science thing.” Seungcheol rolls his eyes, pushing his hair back.

“It’s not just a science ‘thing’.” Soonyoung retorts in an irritated tone, prepared to go off on a tangent about the importance of science and technology, but Seungcheol smoothly interrupts him.

“Whatever, mochi. Come in.”

Soonyoung scuttles inside without hesitation, and Seungcheol shuts the door behind him. The garage looks emptier without Seungcheol’s bandmates and their groupies; it’s only Seungcheol’s drum kit in the corner, without any trace of electric guitars and amplifiers that belong to the rest of Hard Top. Soonyoung holds his breath, expecting Seungcheol’s bandmates to jump out from behind the shadows, scaring him for a good laugh, but Seungcheol could sense his baseless anxiety. 

“There’s no one else here, as you can see.” Seungcheol says, taking a swig from a water bottle.

Then a tiny little fact sinks into Soonyoung’s brain – they’re alone in this great big house.  The perfect prelude leading to stranger things…

Soonyoung nods to Seungcheol’s drum kit in the corner. “Practicing, huh?”

“Wanna give it a go?” Seungcheol offers.

Soonyoung’s jaw drops – Seungcheol’s always been fiercely protective of his drum kit; absolutely no one can touch his drums, not even his bandmates. But here he is, offering a chance to musically illiterate Soonyoung. “Really?”

“Go ahead. See how good you are.” Seungcheol gestures to the drums, giving Soonyoung the green light.

Soonyoung drops his backpack on the floor and walks behind the drum kit, sitting on its stool. A shiver of excitement runs down his spine as Seungcheol hands him a pair of drumsticks – the slim black ones he uses all the time; his most prized pair. Sitting behind the expensive instrument is daunting, and Soonyoung’s scared that he might just damage it out of extreme nervousness.

He glances one more time at Seungcheol, who gives another nod of approval.

Soonyoung gently taps the hi-hat, producing a little tinkle; then gives the bass drum a kick. Not very impressive, but Soonyoung’s shaking of trepidation, sweat from his hands slicking all over Seungcheol’s drumsticks, that he might just drop them at any second. He puts them down at once, giving Seungcheol a helpless smile. “I don’t know how you coordinate…” Soonyoung tries to mimic the way Seungcheol drums, but his arms flail about comically as he tries to hit the whole drumkit at once, making Seungcheol smile.

Seungcheol grabs a nearby stool and places it right behind Soonyoung – when he sits down, he’s practically backhugging Soonyoung, who’s at the brink of malfunctioning at Seungcheol’s sudden intimate proximity. He smells of clean sweat with a hint of musk, exuding a manly charm that makes Soonyoung’s knees weak. The warmth of Seungcheol’s breath dancing by his ear leaves tingles running down to his toes, and he thinks he’s going to die of happiness, being this close to the guy he has a crush on since forever.

Seungcheol leans in, pressing his torso against Soonyoung’s back, casually resting his chin on Soonyoung’s shoulder. “Let me teach you an easy one.” The drummer reaches out from behind Soonyoung to hold his wrists, guiding him in an impromptu drumming lesson, pointing to each component of the drumkit with the tips of the drumsticks that Soonyoung’s holding.

At this point, Soonyoung’s grasping onto the last few threads of his consciousness – this isn’t some wet dream; Choi freaking Seungcheol is backhugging him, teaching him how to play the bloody drums, which he’s barely interested in!

“This is a hi-hat.” Guiding Soonyoung’s hand, Seungcheol taps the pair of cymbals on their left; fixed in such a manner that it resembles a hat. “You can use your foot, too.” Seungcheol places Soonyoung’s foot onto the pedal of the hi-hat, and it makes a little metallic tapping sound as the two cymbals clash slightly. “It makes a different sound when you press the pedal down.” Seungcheol presses his hand down on Soonyoung’s left thigh – unnecessarily gripping it – and the two cymbals clam up, making a muffled sound.

There’s so many things happening at once – Soonyoung lets himself become the puppet in Seungcheol’s borderline erotic drumming lesson. Seungcheol introduces Soonyoung to the snare drum and the bass drum, which Soonyoung barely listens to, focusing on Seungcheol’s proximity instead. The soft murmur of Seungcheol’s voice in his ear, talking about musical terms that Soonyoung can’t wrap his brain around; Seungcheol’s warm breaths, dancing on the back of his neck; and his hands closing over Soonyoung’s own, as he guides him with the different parts of the drums – it’s a miracle that Soonyoung doesn’t pass out from hyperventilation.

“With these three components, you can already play the drums. With lots of practice, of course.” Seungcheol’s saying, as he moves closer towards Soonyoung.

Soonyoung’s brain is short-circuiting; the warmth on his back becoming a bit overwhelming. “What about all those?” He gestures towards the rest of the drumkit spread in front of them; the parts that Seungcheol didn’t bother to mention. His drum class can’t last this short; he wants to stay in this position with Seungcheol as long as he can.

“Those are just for fancier sounds.” Seungcheol rests his chin on Soonyoung’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about them, let’s just take it slow.”

Soonyoung instinctively closes his eyes as he listens to Seungcheol’s smooth baritone; his senses becoming more acute at the second, his body tingling with excitement at the intimacy of the moment. The gentle brush of Seungcheol’s skin against Soonyoung’s sweaty back, and his luscious lips so close as he speaks so sensually, that he’s almost nibbling Soonyoung’s earlobe.

“Hey, mochi...”

Soonyoung slowly turns around, immediately meeting Seungcheol’s dark chocolate gaze, which is so intense, it feels like Seungcheol is staring into his soul. Seungcheol’s lips curl into a smile; they’re just inches away…

Soonyoung can feel Seungcheol’s fingers gently brushing against his nape, guiding him closer. His lips part slightly, ready to receive Seungcheol’s, amidst the loud thumping of his heart and alarm bells ringing in his mind… keep your hands off the art!

But it should be fine, because the art touched him first.

With nimble experience, Seungcheol turns Soonyoung around so that they face each other, and he reaches out to caress Soonyoung’s cheek. Soonyoung lets him, closing his eyes, loving the way Seungcheol’s hands brush his skin, guiding their faces closer that he could feel Seungcheol’s breath, hot and heavy…

Is this it? Is this really happening? Soonyoung getting his first kiss from the guy he’s been crushing on forever?

Right then, someone kicks the door open, and Soonyoung springs as far away as possible from Seungcheol, tumbling down to the floor in an unceremonious heap.

“Oi, Kwon!”

It’s Jihoon, standing in the doorway with a prominent scowl on his face and his hands on his hips. Soonyoung wants to know how he got inside, but knowing Jihoon, he’d probably broke in or something.

“Were you about to kiss this man-whore?” Jihoon steps closer; fire in his eyes. “After what he did to my sister?”

Soonyoung has no idea what Seungcheol did to Jihoon’s sister, but judging from Jihoon’s anger, it must’ve been something worse than extorting money from her to buy condoms.

Seungcheol stands up calmly. “Look, kid, that isn’t any of your business.”

“She’s my sister, and I’m stuck with her for life, so yes, it is my business.” Jihoon snaps back. 

“It was a mutual agreement.” Seungcheol sighs. “And If it makes you feel better, I think she deserves someone better than me.”

“Damn right. She does.”

A few minutes pass with Jihoon keeping a laser gaze on Seungcheol, who doesn’t back down and stands his ground. Soonyoung scrambles to his feet, sensing the tension in the air – the garage just might become a murder scene if Jihoon doesn’t leave immediately.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Soonyoung tries to hustle Jihoon out, but for such a small guy, Jihoon’s quite strong, standing his ground.

Jihoon’s sharp gaze is intimidating. He looks like he’s going to murder Seungcheol, but Soonyoung can’t let that happen, so he goes for a distracting tactic instead. “Jihoon! Don’t we have work to do?” Soonyoung asks in a shrill voice.

“You and Hansol can start first. I’ll sort out this... gigolo.” Jihoon hisses, cracking his knuckles. Soonyoung turns white as a sheet – Hansol is here, and he mustn’t arrive at the crime scene; everything is a mess…

Seungcheol snorts at the derogatory term, but Hansol appears at that moment, frowning over a to-do list, barely paying attention to the tense stand-off between his brother and his friends. “C’mon guys. Don’t bother my brother.” 

“Let’s go.” Saved by Hansol himself; and Soonyoung lets out a little sigh of relief. He drags a snarling Jihoon out of the garage – it feels like he’s handling an angry kitty. Maybe cola would calm him down.

Seungcheol watches Soonyoung leave with Jihoon and Hansol, presumably to continue with their school work. He lets out a dejected sigh as he slumps back onto the drum stool.

So much to think about, thoughts swimming in his head - matters of the heart would be the least of his concern. Younghee - Jihoon’s gorgeous sister - had been amazing, inside and out; precisely the reason that Seungcheol had stuck with her for a while. Still, it crushed his heart - just a tiny bit - when Younghee wanted their relationship to be nothing more than just a fling. He’d gone through all the trouble of romancing her, taking her to his family’s summerhouse, hoping to begin a steady romantic relationship with Younghee; only to return as a confused little single pringle who doesn’t know where his heart lies.

Seungcheol remembers it clearly, how Younghee had gently rejected him. She’d stayed for the sex – that little fact made Seungcheol a teeny bit proud – but still, her parting words were incredibly unsettling.

_“Your heart is clearly with someone else, Cheollie, I can tell.”_

There’s always been Soonyoung, the incredibly adorable boy he’d known almost forever as his little brother’s best friend. Seungcheol’s not dumb; he’s seen how flustered Soonyoung can get around him - young love, so beautiful and innocent; that Seungcheol doesn’t want to taint with his grubby hands. He likes Soonyoung, with his cute mochi cheeks and curious mind, and his strange fixation on stars and space.

He'd never really thought of Soonyoung in a romantic manner; he simply finds the boy endearing in everything that he does. Maybe he _was_ about to kiss Soonyoung earlier, just to test where his heart lies. If only Jihoon hadn’t caught them…

…they’d probably be brushing it off like nothing, or the atmosphere would turn incredibly awkward…

There, there. No need to dwell on things that didn’t happen. He’s got bigger things to worry about, like his future.

Twenty-one, jobless and newly single - that’s Choi Seungcheol’s current status. His parents have been nagging at him forever to get a stable job, instead of trapping himself inside the garage, pounding on his drums like there’s no tomorrow. His parents had thought that it was all just a phase, but a phase that lasts for almost ten years isn’t a phase anymore; it’s becoming a way of life.

He knows that Hard Top is going nowhere - those guys are destined to crash and burn with their liberal rockstar lifestyle, using and abusing substances; and picking up partners left and right. Seeing his parents being successful in their careers and having a genius for a little brother gives him an ounce of motivation to do his own life some justice.

Seungcheol doesn’t know anything other than playing the drums and music and making out with half the town. He doesn’t want to go to college; the idea of forcing himself to be in a room with the same people for at least four years, just to get a piece of paper that would validate his worth as an educated person in society. He’d rather get a job, but as what? Apart from his high school diploma, he doesn’t have any qualifications that would allow him to get a decent job - nothing that interests him, anyway.

Until he gets his life together, he’ll stay celibate. No more messing around with beautiful people – it wouldn’t benefit him much, for now.

Which might be a challenge, with Kwon Soonyoung hanging around. He questions himself – would it be wrong to like his little brother’s best friend? He’s not sure whether he really wants to cross that line…

Seungcheol picks his precious black drumsticks up, and starts kicking a strong beat on the bass drum; drowning himself in what he knows best – music.

*

“See you, buddy.” Soonyoung straps his backpack on, and heads out. Hansol gives him a little wave, smiling, happy at what they’d achieved that day. After Jihoon had significantly calmed down from his rage towards Seungcheol, they’d been productive, discussing about the science fair. In this rate, they’d be done planning the event within one week. Jihoon had left earlier, though, citing that it’s his sister’s birthday celebration that night; wrapping up his work before leaving. Hansol had seen Jihoon out, which makes Soonyoung relieved: what if Jihoon runs into Seungcheol and initiates a murder attempt in the middle of the hallway? Hansol, on the other hand, is still blissfully unaware of the rising tension between them, and Soonyoung hopes that it would stay that way, at least for now.  

Soonyoung checks the time on his watch -  it’s a little after eight thirty in the evening. It’s already dark outside, but it’s typical for him to spend almost all day at Hansol’s house, since grade school. Hardworking as always, Hansol’s parents aren’t back yet, so only the brothers would be home, though the loud drumming from the garage ceased a few hours ago. He can’t help but think about Seungcheol, and the little near miss they had in the garage earlier.

Choi Seungcheol had almost kissed him.

Choi Seungcheol.

Had.

Almost.

Kissed.

Him.

What if Seungcheol stops seeing him just as Hansol’s best friend…?

The possibilities would be limitless, and Soonyoung gets goosebumps just thinking about it, automatically blushing. If only Jihoon didn’t barge in on them, that cockblocker. The way Seungcheol had looked at him with those deep brown eyes… a gaze so intense that it seemed like he’d been looking straight into Soonyoung’s soul.

Soonyoung stifles a yawn. Better get back home soon; he deserves a good night’s sleep after an incredibly productive day. If he’s lucky, he’ll get to dream about Seungcheol…

The house is quiet, peaceful; devoid of the sins Seungcheol would bring upon it if he’s attached to someone. It seems off, because Soonyoung’s so used to seeing Seungcheol making out with someone in the house since the past few years. In fact, if he remembers correctly, this might be the first time Seungcheol’s been single for more than a day.

Soonyoung shrugs it off, simply hoping for Seungcheol’s well-being. He exits through the front door, and is scared out of his wits when he bumps into someone sitting on the front steps of the Choi residence.

Is it a hobo?

Or a dangerous thief, looking for a window to break in?

It’s only Seungcheol, staring out at the darkened lawn, barely acknowledging Soonyoung, even though the teen had let out a loud shout.

“Hey.” Soonyoung whispers, wondering if he’s intruding Seungcheol’s alone time.

Seungcheol turns to look at him, giving him a slow once-over, and Soonyoung takes half a step backwards. A teasing smile quirks onto his handsome face, almost hidden in the lowlight. “Leaving, mochi?”

Soonyoung can only nod, though he’s not sure if Seungcheol can see his response in the shadows He pauses - he could just leave right now, and let Seungcheol brood alone under the moonlight, or he could grab this rare chance to have a proper conversation with him. He makes a split-second decision, and a leap of faith.

“Can I sit here?” Soonyoung asks, in a tiny voice.

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I-I thought you might like some company.” Soonyoung says, as he takes a seat right next to Seungcheol, their knees just inches away.

“That’s nice.” Seungcheol leans back, relaxing. He lets silence wash over them; only the sound of cars passing by filling in the air.

“Won’t you stay the night?”

“W-what?” Soonyoung chokes on his spit – he’d taken it as an innuendo…

“It’s always late when you leave. Don’t you get scared walking back home?” Seungcheol’s low voice sounds even sexier in the darkness; and the fact that he’s concerned over Soonyoung’s safety (as always) makes Soonyoung’s heart bloom.

Still, Soonyoung squares his shoulders - well, as best as he can when he’s still got his backpack strapped to them - and sits up. “I’m sixteen. I can walk home alone.”

“Right.” Seungcheol returns his gaze towards the darkened lawn spread in front of them.

Silence falls over them, and Soonyoung starts squirming, uncomfortable in the stillness of the night. In the lowlight, Seungcheol looks dangerous, like a predator. But it’s a tasteful kind of danger that draws Soonyoung even closer, intrigued by the secrets hidden in the shadows. Seungcheol’s dark eyes look mysterious, yet tired; as if they’re weighed down by the burdens of the world.

Soonyoung’s suddenly curious about what goes in Seungcheol’s enigmatic mind - all these years of knowing each other, but they’ve never been close.

Pasting his cutest smile onto his face, Soonyoung sticks his face into Seungcheol’s line of view. “What’s up, buttercup?”

Seungcheol snorts, and a little grin paints his lips. “No one uses that anymore.”

“I just did.” Soonyoung quips, his heart already racing - he’d just made Choi Seungcheol smile! “So, what’s on your mind right now?”

“Nothing much.” Seungcheol leans forward, shaking his head.

“Science says that it’s healthier to talk about your worries instead of bottling it all up.” Soonyoung adds.

“Can’t stray away from science, eh, mochi.” Seungcheol turns to look at Soonyoung, smiling. He lets out a sigh, leaning back again. “What will I get if I tell you?”

Soonyoung pauses, rubbing his chin as he thinks of a reply. “A good night’s sleep...?”

“That’s good enough for me.” Seungcheol shifts closer towards Soonyoung, his fingers lightly brushing Soonyoung’s knee. “Are you sure you wanna listen to this?”

“If it helps you, I don’t mind.” Soonyoung says softly.

Seungcheol takes a deep breath and looks at Soonyoung with a serious expression, before beginning his tale of woe. For someone who seems so carefree about his life, Seungcheol’s got a lot of thoughts in his mind, predominantly about his future. How his parents wished for him to be employed. How he doesn’t want to go to college, thinking of a career in music, instead.

“But maybe I’m not good enough for it.” Seungcheol laments. Being good in a single instrument with absolutely zero knowledge of the music industry - he knows that he wouldn’t get very far in that competitive world.

“Your drumming is great.” Soonyoung pipes in, but Seungcheol shakes his head in disappointment. Seeing Seungcheol this way, doubting himself…Soonyoung could feel an aching pain rising in his chest.

“Seeing you and Han overachieving… makes me want to do something with my life too.”

“Maybe you can start somewhere.” Soonyoung suggests.

“Where?” Seungcheol leans closer towards Soonyoung curiously; his breath warm on Soonyoung’s cheeks.

“I-I’m not too sure about that…”

Seungcheol lingers closely to Soonyoung, examining each contour on the boy’s face. The softness of his mochi cheeks, down to the curve of his lips… Seungcheol could reach out and caress Soonyoung’s face; breaking some unwritten code that says: never seduce your little brother’s best friend, no matter how adorable he is!

Seungcheol is tempted, he really is. He can sense the aura of nervousness radiating from Soonyoung, the way his fingers tremble as Seungcheol inches closer. But Soonyoung is the least of his worries - the ease of his worries, really - and his baby brother Hansol would probably never forgive him if he ever laid a hand on innocent little Kwon Soonyoung. Like a drug, lifting Seungcheol up to euphoria - simply thinking about Soonyoung allows him to let loose and forget about everything else in the world. And being here, sitting next to him in the lowlight, a romantic atmosphere surrounding them, is the cherry on top; a temporary solution - distraction - for Seungcheol’s troubles.

So as any right-minded person would do, Seungcheol leans away, shifting back into his original position - there’s at least a foot of space between them now.

“I think you’re right.” Seungcheol says, finally. “Gotta start somewhere.”

“And work it up to the top.” Soonyoung adds quietly.

“I’ll think about it soon.”

“R-right.”

“Do you want me to walk you home?” Seungcheol offers, gazing at the dark skies. The moon is playing hide-and-seek behind the clouds; only artificial lights illuminating the roads.

Soonyoung scrambles up to his feet, quicker than lightning. “It’s okay, that’ll be too much trouble for you!”

“My middle name is trouble, anyway.” Seungcheol quips, smirking.

Death combo for Soonyoung - he’s 200% flustered by now; being around Seungcheol is enough cardio exercise for him!

“Good night!” The boy darts down the pavement, his silhouette almost blending into the shadows, if not for the glow-in-the-dark keychain attached to his backpack. Seungcheol watches Soonyoung hurry down the street, until he’s gone out of sight.

“Take care, mochi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   * ooh they are hashtag getting closer
>   * if u _squealed_ reading this comment below lol
>   * also i couldn't think of a better name than younghee heh that's like y/n in caratland
> 

> 
> ###### feedback is highly appreciated 


	3. Chapter 3

It’s just another day at school, and the bell rings, signifying lunchtime; Soonyoung’s favourite period (after science, of course). He’s heading to the cafeteria with Hansol to fill their hungry tummies after a whole morning of enriching their young minds with complicated scientific facts. It’s tough, taking all advanced classes, but Soonyoung loves learning new things, and giving his brain a mental workout. Now he deserves some yummy food to refuel – he’s looking forward to trying the new bento meal that the school cafeteria had just introduced into the menu.  

“Soonyoung, are you coming over tonight?” Hansol asks out of the blue, breaking into Soonyoung’s thoughts of food. He sounds serious, and he’s got a book about the history of genes for some lunchtime reading. No doubt, they’re probably going to go over the endless details to plan the science fair, or have an intellectual debate about transgenics, which Soonyoung doesn’t really know about.

He sighs internally. Sometimes, being best friends with the smartest person in his class tires him out - what can a guy do have some fun on a Friday night? They’re sixteen, for goodness’ sake - there’s got to be better things to do than sitting around in Hansol’s kitchen, talking about nerdy science stuff. They could be painting the town red, hitting all the karaoke joints in town, or going on blind dates. Isn’t that what teenagehood is about?  

“I was thinking of watching some movies.” Hansol adds nonchalantly, when he notices Soonyoung’s hesitation.

Oh.

So Choi Hansol hasn’t lost the fun in him – Soonyoung had been too quick to judge his best friend.  

Still, they’d probably watch something sci-fi like _Star Wars_ or _Guardians of the Galaxy_ ; Hansol’s new favourite fix - Jihoon’s been introducing them to the Marvel universe, quoting Black Panther whenever he can.

(Wakanda forever.)

Soonyoung loves sci-fi, because of space and stars, no matter how unrealistic the movies can be. But tonight, he’s got to take a rain check, because remembers that he’s got this family thing going on - some relative is visiting for a few days, and his parents are suddenly so invested in, planning dinner parties and luncheons and a whole lot of events that involve food in truly excessive hospitality, which Soonyoung isn’t completely against, because…food. For once, Soonyoung doesn’t mind not spending Friday evening at Hansol’s house, just so he can glimpse Seungcheol hanging around half-naked (not that Soonyoung minds, but someone’s got to buy that guy a shirt) around the house, moping about how cruddy his life has gotten. Besides, if Soonyoung tries to weasel out of the family gathering, his mother would nag his ear off for weeks on end, and he doesn’t need that kind of stress in his life.  

Soonyoung tells Hansol about it, who listens and nods in understanding. “I’ll ask Jihoon to hang out then.”

Soonyoung suddenly feels left out at the mere mention of Jihoon’s name – was he that replaceable for one night? He knows how chummy Hansol and Jihoon had gotten over their after-school science fair prep. Surprisingly, they share a lot of interests, having intelligent discussions about everything under the sun, leaving Soonyoung a bit jealous…

“Maybe you guys can come over on Sunday. Mum told me to invite you for lunch, we’re having a barbeque.” Soonyoung suggests quickly.

“Cool. I’ll tell Jihoon, then.” Hansol smiles. He’s an absolute foodie himself, inhaling whatever food is given to him. The two of them join the lunch line, grabbing the menu of the day, then go over to sit with Jihoon, who’s busy playing a game on his Switch.

Hansol manages to tell Jihoon about his movie plans when Jihoon looks up from his game long enough; and it’s all set. The two of them would be watching movies together, while Soonyoung would be eating good food with his family.

The rest of the school day passes by, uneventful. When the school bell rings at the end of the day, Soonyoung says goodbye to his friends, which feels weird, since almost every day of his life since grade school, he’d be walking back to the Choi residence with Hansol.

He heads home: an apartment much, much older than him, and significantly less impressive than the Choi residence. It’s a bit run down, but it’s where he grew up, giving off that homey aura Soonyoung loves. His mother’s cooking up a storm in the kitchen; delicious smells wafting towards him, tickling his nose. He’s already salivating at the heavy scent of garlic hanging in the air, thinking about the dishes that his mother’s cooking - filled with lots of nutrition and love.

Not wanting to disturb his mum, Soonyoung ensconces himself inside his tiny bedroom, finishing up his assignments. It doesn’t take him that long (calculus? Yawn), then he jumps onto his creaky mattress, daydreaming.

Of course, Seungcheol appears into his mind first, as he always does when Soonyoung’s got nothing to do. But instead of fawning over what an amazing human specimen Seungcheol is, sculpted by God’s hands himself; Soonyoung’s mind flicks over to their conversation on the front steps of the Choi residence a couple of nights ago. He’d never had a proper conversation with Seungcheol before that, that didn’t involve food or money or condoms or crossing the road safely.

It had been a proper Talk.

(Not the Talk, of birds and bees; but the _Talk_ that’s directed more towards the future, what kind of people they’re going to be.)

Thinking back on it, Seungcheol’s more than the player he seems to be. Underneath that model-worthy exterior, lies a worried soul. His future, undecided - Seungcheol can’t keep skulking around the house, acting like a teenager forever, drumming his heart out in the garage whenever he wants to. And the way doubt shrouded him scared Soonyoung, because Seungcheol had always seemed to be confident about the way he carries himself.

If Choi Seungcheol, the cockiest prick in town is uncertain about his abilities, then everyone else is in trouble.

It saddens Soonyoung, to learn of Seungcheol’s insecurities, but he hopes he’d helped Seungcheol in some way; easing his worries.

There’d been nothing but truth - the future’s always something to worry about. Being a junior in high school, his teachers had started to put words of advice towards his future; contradicting things about pursuing fields of interest and job marketability and how the economy is going to ruins with the way humans are running the earth.

Soonyoung doesn’t know exactly what he’ll be doing five years from now, but he hopes it’ll be something to do with space and stars; running along the lines of picking something he loves, so he’ll never have to work a day in his life. He doesn’t know how true that is, because work is work and surely there’ll be challenges even when you’re doing the things you’re passionate for because that’s what life does to you…

He wishes he could’ve said something soothing and meaningful to Seungcheol, like _chin up, it’ll all work out_ … but he knows his place as the younger brother’s best friend - it wouldn’t really be right for him to go around and give older people advice.

“Soonyoung, come and help me!” His mother’s shrill voice breaks his thoughts.

Being the dutiful son he is, Soonyoung rolls out of bed immediately, pushing thoughts of a certain Choi to the back of his mind. He skips over to the kitchen, where he immediately gets inundated by instructions from his mother - _set the table, serve the dishes properly, make sure the cutlery is gleaming, mix the juice for me_ -

Soonyoung’s mum doesn’t give him a break for the next couple of hours, and she finally lets him off, making him change into a fresh shirt she’d specially ironed for him. He does so, and checks his reflection in the mirror. He’s all dressed up, like he’s going to someone’s wedding. The clean white shirt sets off his jet-black hair, which he tries to muss up into something remotely stylish, but he sticks with his daily style - bangs hanging over his forehead; though he runs a comb through it to make it more presentable.

“Soonyoung!” His mum calls out again, though this time he voice sounds less harsh; much friendlier - their guest must’ve arrived. Soonyoung quickly leaves his room, only to be greeted with his father, who’s grinning from ear to ear. Meanwhile, his mother is schmoozing with their guest, giggling shamelessly like a schoolgirl.

“Remember your cousin twice removed, Bumzu?” Mr Kwon introduces his son to their guest, who simply smirks when he sees Soonyoung, sticking out a sweater-pawed hand.

“Hi.” Soonyoung does remember, and he nods, shaking Bumzu’s hand. He hadn’t seen his cousin since he was a kid – Bumzu looks much older, smiling at him so widely that his eyes disappear. And unlike Soonyoung’s formal wear, Bumzu’s all decked out casually in an oversized hoodie and ripped jeans, looking like he’s ready to drop a beat in the club; and he’s got a tattoo peeking out from underneath his long sweater sleeve.

“Remember when you were still a kid, and we spent the summer by the beach?” Bumzu prompts, giving Soonyoung’s hand an extra squeeze.

Of course Soonyoung remembers it; and he nods. The memories start flooding back into his mind – the great blue sea spreading far and wide, meeting a strip of sand that served as a sad excuse of a beach; and a far cry from the luxurious golden beaches that stretched out for miles and miles like those in the island paradises of the Maldives, or Hawaii.

It had initially been a Choi family summer vacation, but Hansol had invited Soonyoung along for the trip, so he could have his best buddy with him, hunting for treasure and spotting pirates and mermaids and dolphins in the sea. Soonyoung’s parents had been reluctant to let their only child go for a week; but eventually gave in, letting him join the Chois at the beach, but with a catch – his cousin Bumzu was coming along for the ride.

Sixteen-year-old Bumzu, twice Soonyoung’s age and very distantly related, that Soonyoung himself doesn’t know the genealogy; initially spending the summer at the Kwons’ to help Mr Kwon with his agriculture business, but getting a free trip to the beach out of it instead. Easy-going Bumzu had blended in with the Choi family quite easily, and Mr and Mrs Choi unofficially let him be in charge, being the oldest among the boys.

Soonyoung, Hansol and Bumzu had been the Three Musketeers that summer, the two children dragging teenage Bumzu around the beach in their make-believe adventures. They hunted for treasure, spotted ships – “no, those are whales!” Hansol insisted – and buried sulky Seungcheol under the sand when he was napping, which was the reason he gave them the cold shoulder throughout the vacation, and Soonyoung didn’t like it one bit.

It would’ve been a pretty normal trip, if a certain incident didn’t happen. And that certain incident just had to involve Choi Seungcheol, who’d been thirteen back then, a mess of puberty and hormones, moping around the beach wishing he was at home, testing out his brand-new drum kit.

Soonyoung’s mind does a quick flashback about that _certain incident_ , even though he doesn’t want to – it was a bittersweet memory, one that taught him pain and love at the same time…

_It had been their second last night of vacation, and it was dinnertime._

_Mr and Mrs Choi had a table booked for them at a casual beachside restaurant, where everyone was seated, save for one person._

_“Where’s Seungcheol?” Mr Choi asked to no one in particular, glancing around the table. He counted the boys, just to be sure - one, two, three…one is missing…._

_Mrs Choi sighed. “He’s been moody all week, dear.”_

_“That’s not a valid reason to miss dinner.” Mr Choi said, popping a pickled radish into his mouth._

_Dinner resumed for about two seconds, when Soonyoung suddenly stood up, his chair scraping against the floor with a startling sound. “I’ll go look for him.” Soonyoung offered, without being asked. The boy ran off, without waiting for an answer - he’d seen Seungcheol lying on the beach earlier, his face covered with a magazine; even though the sun was almost setting._

_Soonyoung knew that Seungcheol would be cranky if he missed dinner, and even at eight years old, he felt responsible for the teen. In the distance, the sun starts to set, slipping beyond the horizon, painting streaks of scarlet against the darkening sky. The beach was dimly lit by little tiki lamps, giving off a frightening aura for eight-year-old Soonyoung, who still believed in things that go bump in the dark. He started to hurry, his flip-flops smacking against the boardwalk as he ran to the exact spot where he’d seen Seungcheol earlier, rushing against time._

_Of course, Seungcheol was still there, lying on the sand like a beached whale, unmoving. Soonyoung’s heart started to beat faster in nervousness - Seungcheol hasn’t even looked at him since that little project of burying him under the sand a few days ago. Still, the rest of the family were enjoying dinner, and surely Seungcheol would want to eat too - he’d been moping around in that spot all day…_

_“Seungcheol, it’s dinnertime.” Soonyoung said breathlessly, skidding to a halt next to the older Choi brother._

_Seungcheol’s eyes were shut, his long lashes fanning over the tops of his cheeks; and he didn’t even move a muscle. “Mmm.”_

_“Everyone is waiting.”_

_Seungcheol slowly sat up, giving Soonyoung an annoyed look. He dusted the sand sticking to the back of his neck, and let out a tired sigh. “Sit down, mochi.”_

_Soonyoung did._

_They watched the sun set in silence, the greatest show on earth that only lasted a couple of minutes. The world slowly grew darker; the warmth of the sun dissipating, welcoming the mysterious cold night time. Soonyoung automatically stuck himself closer to Seungcheol when a dog barked in the distance - he was scared of the dark._

_“Wanna see something cool?” Seungcheol stared straight ahead towards the dark sea; though his question was directed towards Soonyoung, who was sitting right next to him._

_Soonyoung almost answered yes in a split second, curiosity getting the better of him - something cool would trump over dinner at his young age. But a sense of righteousness washed over him - everyone else were sitting at a table in the restaurant right now, enjoying delicious seafood dishes, and his tummy rumbled at the thought of it. “W-we’re having dinner right now.”_

_“Food can wait.” Seungcheol brushed it off nonchalantly, getting up to his feet. “There’s something I wanna show you. And you can’t tell Han.”_

_This made Soonyoung even more curious - what could be oh so important, that they had to skip dinner, and keep it a secret from his best friend? “Okay.” The boy said quietly,_

_Seungcheol smiled devilishly - Soonyoung had gotten the bait. “You wanna know, right?” He reached out to grab Soonyoung’s hand, and started to lead him towards the furthest and darkest end of the beach. Soonyoung followed him without restraint, putting all of his trust in Seungcheol, knowing that nothing bad would happen in the dark if they were together._

_“Remember when you and Han were reading about jellyfishes last night?” Seungcheol lowered voice his down to a whisper. Soonyoung nodded - he’d been discussing about marine animals with his best friend, ogling over some nature magazine that Hansol had brought along. Seungcheol had been in the same room, sitting far away as possible from the two boys, so it was surprising that he knew what they’d been talking about._

_“Look at what I found.” They stopped by a rocky area, almost detached from the beach. Seungcheol started to climb the rocks, aiming to get to the other side, and Soonyoung followed his lead._

_It was a bit difficult to see in the lowlight, but they scrambled over the rocks, plopping directly into a pool of water detached from the sea._

_“Shit.” Seungcheol swore, then he froze when Soonyoung turned to look at him, eyes widening at the profanity. He didn’t expect the tide to rise in the evening – the little pool had been smaller in the afternoon, when he’d found it; and now he the water was ankle-deep, and that displeased him._

_But a different thing was worrying the eight-year-old, whose gaze if fixed onto Seungcheol’s hand. “You’re bleeding.”_

_Only then Seungcheol’s brain sensed the sharp pain of the cut - the sharp rocks they’d climbed over had been treacherous - it really wasn’t a good idea heading out to the most dangerous section of the beach after sunset. The teen clutched his injured hand, putting pressure on the wound so it would clot faster. He wiped the blood off with the hem of his shirt, hoping that it wouldn’t be too obvious._

_“Can we go back now?” There was fear in Soonyoung’s voice, and Seungcheol could barely make out the boy’s frightened features in the lowlight._

_Seungcheol automatically took Soonyoung’s hand, his brain giving him red flags. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea at all, and they should head back to the rest of the family, where they’d be safe and surrounded by delicious food._

_His brain said one thing, but his body did another, like his limbs had autonomy. “It won’t take long, mochi. Just a few seconds.”_

_“I. Wanna. Go. Back. NOW!” Soonyoung stamped his feet in tantrum, splashing water around._

_“Chill, mochi. You might wake it up.” Seungcheol chastised the boy, annoyed._

_Soonyoung’s eyes grew wider, chills running down his arms. “Wake what up?” His voice was barely above a whisper, and he immediately clung to Seungcheol._

_“I found a jellyfish.” Seungcheol grinned. “It’s somewhere in this pool, so you better watch your toes.”_

_“You did?” Soonyoung’s tone quickly turned bright and curious, though he was still clutching onto Seungcheol’s arm._

_“Bit difficult to see, ‘cause it’s dark now.” Seungcheol said, glancing around to glimpse the jellyfish under the surface of the water._

_They spent a couple of minutes looking for the jellyfish Seungcheol had seen, but to no avail. The darkness surrounding them was no help either, and Soonyoung was tired and hungry, though he still wanted to see a jellyfish with his own eyes. Unless..._

_“You’re lying to me.” Soonyoung said loudly, detaching himself from Seungcheol, placing his hands on his hips._

_“What? I’m not.” Seungcheol frowned._

_“You brought me out here to scare me, because you know I’m scared of the dark.”_

_“I wouldn’t do that.”_

_“There’s no… JELLYFISH!” Soonyoung fell into the pool with a scream followed by a loud splash…and a stinging pain and darkness…_

_Soonyoung didn’t remember what else happened that night. He’d only regained his consciousness the next morning, with a throbbing pain in the back of head; and his foot all bandaged up._

_It turned out that Soonyoung had stepped on the jellyfish, and it had stung his foot, which explained the fall and the stinging pain. If it weren’t for Seungcheol’s quick actions, who knew what could’ve happened…_

_But still, Seungcheol was the one who’d led him into trouble; and Soonyoung spent the rest of the summer in bed, reading about asteroids. He didn’t see Seungcheol until school started again, and by then, that little jellyfish incident was nothing but forgotten. He still felt bad for accusing Seungcheol of trying to scare him, when Seungcheol had been the one who’d carried his unconscious self all the way back, alerted his parents, and tried to treat the sting._

_(And no, Soonyoung’s jellyfish sting did not need to be peed on to heal.)_

_Still, Choi Seungcheol had saved his life, and that meant a lot._

Soonyoung still has the scars from the jellyfish sting on his foot, a reminder of the occasion. Maybe he didn’t see a jellyfish that night, instead, he’d stepped on one…

“Come! Have a seat! We made dinner for you!” Mrs Kwon’s excited voice brings Soonyoung back to the present, where his parents are pampering Bumzu to no end, leading him towards the dinner table, which is laden with delicious homecooked food.

The first half of dinner is filled with beef stew and Mr Kwon’s stories – which he tells his guests at every dinner party, which means that Soonyoung’s heard them about a million times. He’s bored of his mind, even though his mother’s cooking is delicious, as always. Still, he wishes that he could be hanging out with his friends, watching movies and eating homemade popcorn…and maybe Seungcheol might join them and sit next to Soonyoung on the couch; their shoulders touching – simply imagining it makes Soonyoung feel warm. His body is there at the dinner table with his family, eating a hearty dinner; but his soul is at the Choi residence, yearning for Seungcheol, as always.

Bumzu’s saying something, but Soonyoung doesn’t listen; taking in another mouthful of rice and stew. It’s like the world around him is on mute; making Bumzu’s gestures and moving lips look comical.

When, oh when will Soonyoung be able to escape this boring dinner party and lie on his bed, so he can dream about Seungcheol…

“What’s your current job, Bumzu?” Mr Kwon asks, handing the spotlight to his nephew.

“I do music.” Bumzu replies simply.

“Well, that must be tough!”

Bumzu shrugs. “Well, I do have my moments…”

Wait.

Rewind, record scratch and pause.

“What did you just say?” Soonyoung looks at his second cousin twice removed with wild eyes – his ears had caught on a single keyword uttered just seconds ago…

Bumzu gives Soonyoung a puzzled look. “I do have my moments…?”

“No, the one before that!”

“I do music…?” The instant those words leave Bumzu’s mouth, Soonyoung lets out a little gasp and a giggle at the same time.

Mr Kwon leans forward, narrowing his eyes with renewed interest. “What do you actually do?”

“Well, I produce music.” Bumzu replies, wondering if he should be worried for Soonyoung, who’s suddenly bouncing in his seat with the biggest smile on his face.

“That’s really impressive!” Mrs Kwon claps her hands, beaming in pride for her nephew, while her husband nods enthusiastically. “Wow! Our Bumzu, making the songs we hear on the radio!”

Soonyoung’s brain quickly makes the link: Seungcheol needs and wants a job in the music industry, and here’s Bumzu, his second cousin twice removed, sitting across from him like a godsend; a direct link towards the industry that Seungcheol’s aiming for! His mouth has no filter, and he asks Bumzu directly, interrupting his parents’ excited chatter. “My… _friend_ is looking for a job in music, can you help him out?”

Bumzu puts his chopsticks down, hesitating with his answer. Every time he mentions that he’s working in the music business, someone would always ask for a favour… “I’m not too sure about that.”

“It’s for Seungcheol.” Soonyoung cuts in, giving his cousin an innocent smile.

“Hansol’s brother? Isn’t he still wasting his days at home?” Mrs Kwon turns to her son, who doesn’t heed her question – he’s already using puppy-dog eyes to beg for Bumzu to help out.

“Remember, he was on vacation with us too back then? He’s a drummer now.” Soonyoung says.

Bumzu chews his food slowly, deliberating on the idea. Soonyoung had effectively killed the conversation with his random request, and an awkward atmosphere washes over the four of them.

“Choi Seungcheol. Too good for college, they say.” Mr Kwon tries to make a joke, but it falls flat as nobody heeds him – Soonyoung still staring hopefully at Bumzu, who’s deep in thought; while his wife subtly leaves for the kitchen to get more rice for everyone.

The room is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop; and the seconds on the clock tick away…

“You know what, Soonyoung? I’ll check with the studio to see if there’s any opening, and I’ll get back to you on that. Or maybe you could give me Seungcheol’s number, so we can work it out.” Bumzu says finally.

SCORE!

Soonyoung scrambles out of his chair and kneels onto the floor, bowing to Bumzu gratefully. “Thank you, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you, this means a lot to us.”

“No problem, kid.” Bumzu’s taken aback by Soonyoung’s dramatic actions, but he doesn’t show it, keeping his cool. “This is really good stew, Mrs Kwon.” He says to his aunt, who reappears with a steaming pot of rice.

Mr Kwon laughs loudly, and starts fussing over his nephew, offering him more food. This gives Soonyoung the chance to sit back and smile at his food, excited for what lies in Seungcheol’s future. Only then he remembers that he doesn’t even have Seungcheol’s phone number to give to Bumzu. There’s only one way to do so: ask his best friend about it.

There’s nothing wrong in asking for Seungcheol’s number – it’s not like Soonyoung’s using it for personal use. Even so, the simple notion makes Soonyoung nervous, as if his humongous crush on Seungcheol would be exposed…he’s been keeping this a secret for a long time now, so he’d still be able to conceal his crush on Seungcheol for at least a while longer. As long as Hansol doesn’t find out, because love is one thing he’d never really talked about with his best friend.   

Soonyoung wishes for dinner to be over as soon as possible, barely listening to the rest of the conversation, plotting for an appropriate way to ask Hansol for his brother’s mobile number. Straight to the point should do it, and Soonyoung has to remind himself that he’s not doing anything wrong; it’s for Seungcheol’s future. He fidgets in his seat as his parents interrogate Bumzu about his life, which Soonyoung would’ve been interested in, just not now. As soon as they finish dessert, his mother barks at him to clear the table and wash the pots, while Mr Kwon entertains Bumzu in the living room.

Chores are a bore, but Soonyoung finishes them as quickly as possible; and sneaks off into his room when his mum serves coffee for his dad and Bumzu. He sends a quick text to Hansol, hoping that his best friend won’t be asking too many questions.

There. No beating around the bush (even though his hand had slipped when he’d typed out the question, accidentally double texting). Miraculously, Hansol’s online, responding within two seconds, so Soonyoung doesn’t have time to be nervous. Soonyoung could only offer a vague explanation, but that’s exactly what he needs Seungcheol’s number for: business.

A string of numbers follow Hansol’s last message – it’s Seungcheol’s contact number.

Soonyoung lets out a tiny squeal at his tiny victory, and sends back a quick thank you to Hansol, who immediately goes offline. He lets out a sigh of relief – no follow-up texts from naturally curious Hansol, who questions anything and everything on a daily basis. Hansol’s probably occupied with some important project, which Soonyoung’s not interested in right now: he’s got his own project to finish, and his goal is to get Choi Seungcheol a job.

Soonyoung’s hands are shaking at this point – he actually has Seungcheol’s mobile number now! He stares at the phone number Hansol had forwarded to him, and he smiles widely as he saves it to his contact list. He contemplates saving the number under some kind of codename or nickname, like _Honey Pie_ or _Apple Dumplin’_ or _Super Hot: Baked at 350 Degrees!_ but it would be conspicuous and suspicious, and it seems downright ridiculous.

So he saves it as plain ol’ _Seungcheol_ , who is everything but plain. 

Soonyoung’s heart flutters when he sees Seungcheol’s name in his contact list, but there’s no time to dawdle and linger on that single fact. He’s got another challenge next: text Choi Seungcheol.

The first few attempts sound too formal; like he’s trying to send an application to college, with his expansive vocabulary. He gets familiar with the backspace button for the next five minutes, trying to compose a text message that sounds casual, but not too casual. Direct, but not too direct. How do people even communicate with their crushes without their brain short-circuiting? He’s short of opening up the WikiHow page on _How to Text Your Crush_ , but following those steps makes him feel robotic and unnatural.

He throws his phone aside in frustration after a few more unsuccessful tries – why is he putting so much effort in a simple text message? He lies back on his bed, staring at the ceiling; questioning his texting style (double, triple texting all the way), and half-wishing that someone would come up with a dating AI that would help hopeless people like him in the ways of capturing the hearts of the people they really, really like, through text messaging.

He smacks himself internally – he’s not trying to ask Seungcheol out on a date, goddammit. It’s a simple task, informing him about Bumzu’s offer; which is far from romantic (though it has to count for something - Soonyoung’s partially invested in Seungcheol’s future that he’s taking Seungcheol’s matters into his own hands).

_Stop thinking too much, and just tell Seungcheol what’s up._   

Soonyoung sits up, collecting his thoughts before he pads out a bunch of messages telling Seungcheol exactly what he wants to tell him.

Soonyoung almost forgets to attach Bumzu’s number after that, but then he realises that he never had Bumzu’s contact number in the first place. He leaps off his bed, opening the door so suddenly that his father, who’s sitting in the living room, almost topples over in surprise. Everyone is sitting on the couch, watching some comedy show as they enjoy post-dinner coffee; and they’re surprised to see Soonyoung all worked up.

“Bumzu, can I have your phone number?” Soonyoung rushes over to his cousin, clutching his phone tightly, wishing that Seungcheol won’t reply just yet.

“P’s and Q’s, Soonyoung.” Mrs Kwon says sharply, reminding her son on his manners. _P for please, and Q for thank you…_

“Please and thank you!” Soonyoung adds in quickly.

Bumzu laughs at his young cousin’s odd antics, and recites his number out loud for everyone to hear. Soonyoung misses the first two digits, half a second too late, fumbling to create a new entry for Bumzu in his contact list, and it takes three attempts before Soonyoung gets it right, then he has to triple-check, just in case he accidentally sends the wrong number to Seungcheol. Next thing he knows, Seungcheol might be hooking up with some gorgeous androgynous model who knows all the moves in the Kama Sutra, just because of a single mistake on his part, and he won’t take that chance.

Soonyoung thanks Bumzu about ten times, bowing gratefully as he backs out of the living room; then he quickly forwards the contact number to Seungcheol, who hasn’t even read his messages yet.

(Typical Soonyoung, to overreact in everything that concerns Seungcheol.)

His phone vibrates in his hand, and he jumps, like he’s been electrocuted. His hands are shaking as he looks at the incoming message: Seungcheol’s replied! Within two minutes!

It’s just two simple words, but Soonyoung can’t help but smile like a moron – those two words carry a lot of meaning, and he knows that he’d done something good. He returns to his room and flops onto his bed; his head full of nothing but Seungcheol, Seungcheol, Seungcheol. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why does ksy take it into his hands to help csc: discuss  
> also if there are problems viewing the texts pls tell me!
> 
> ######  feedback is always appreciated 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my favourite chapter (so far)

The next few days become hectic for Soonyoung, as he accompanies Hansol and Jihoon in orchestrating the set-up of the science fair. For three afternoons, they spend their time in the school gym, making sure that everything is going to plan. They’re so busy that Soonyoung almost forgets about Seungcheol for a while, but he compensates by daydreaming about the drummer in physics class. Not seeing Seungcheol in the flesh is weird, having done so for every day after school for the past nine years. Still, he’s occupied in making this year’s science fair a success (as it always has been ever since Hansol took over the helm as organising chairman since freshman year) and hanging around Jihoon makes Soonyoung feel like thinking about Seungcheol’s name is a crime. Still, Jihoon’s a fun person to be around (when he’s not annoyed about something), with his extensive knowledge on video games and supercomputers; and the fact that he gets everything done quickly, which helps a lot in their event planning.

This year, in addition to his role as organising chairman of the school science fair, Hansol’s got his own solo project, presenting his thesis on thermophotovoltaics as renewable energy. Soonyoung doesn’t even know when Hansol can even find the time to write a whole paper on something so visionary, when they’ve got a whole load of homework and a science fair to plan. Still, he’s proud of his best friend for his groundbreaking research; it’s the kind of work that pioneers into an area of science that can be explored further for the greater good – one day Choi Hansol is going to win a Nobel prize and Soonyoung is already proud of it.

It’s D-1 to the science fair, and the three boys have colonised the school gym with an army of enthusiastic freshmen, much to the consternation of the school jocks, whose after-school sports practice is cancelled to make way for the science fair. It’s a flurry of activity everywhere: posters being pinned up, booths being set up, and for a bunch of science nerds, they’re all quite artsy, creating decorations that would attract people to stop at their booth and listen to their prepared speeches on projects they’ve worked on painstakingly. There’s a prize at stake, of course, for best project and most innovative research; which Soonyoung’s a bit miffed to miss out on, since he doesn’t have his own project this year; besides, Hansol would probably win, anyway. But he vows to team up with Hansol and Jihoon next year, so they can blow everyone’s socks off with the new rocket fuel technology that Soonyoung’s been researching in his free time when he’s not thinking about Seungcheol or planning this event.

Soonyoung’s phone rings, and he picks it up immediately without checking the caller ID; thinking that it’s one of the sophomores he’d sent to the art room to grab some paintbrushes. “Hello?”

“This is really important.” It’s Seungcheol, his voice low and urgent. “Meet me outside school, now.” Seungcheol hangs up before Soonyoung can ask more questions.

Soonyoung doesn’t know what to make of Seungcheol’s instructions; his mind blanking out for half a second. He searches for his friends in the commotion in the gym, and he spies Hansol and Jihoon ordering freshmen around. It looks like everything is under control, and they wouldn’t really need him… So he grabs his bag and hightails it out of there, racing through the hallways towards the main entrance; his mind yelling at him that he doesn’t actually have to follow what Seungcheol says. He sees Seungcheol’s car immediately, double parked right at the kerb. Loud rock music is blasting from the speakers, and Seungcheol’s nodding his head along to the music without a care in the world.

Soonyoung approaches the vehicle, and Seungcheol sees him, an inquisitive eyebrow quirked up at Soonyoung’s breathless state when he taps on the window. “Jeez, mochi. Are you running in a marathon or something?”

“You said it was important!” Soonyoung pants, though he doesn’t know what would qualify as important in Seungcheol’s book – he probably needs new drumsticks, or maybe some sex shop is offering a discount on bulk purchases of condoms, and Seungcheol needs Soonyoung to pay for it; even though Soonyoung’s noticed that Seungcheol’s been a single pringle lately.

“Get in.”

Soonyoung slides into the passenger seat, strapping his seat belt on. Right next to him, Seungcheol looks as calm as ever, observing the boy, wondering what he eats every day to have such squishy-looking cheeks.

“Are you kidnapping me?” Soonyoung asks, barely looking at Seungcheol, busying himself with the seatbelt.

“I’m hungry. And a little bird says that you know all the best restaurants in town.”

Soonyoung leans back in the passenger seat and crosses his arms. He really doesn’t want to abandon Hansol and Jihoon at this crucial time, but he’s already sitting next to Seungcheol anyway, so how can he say no? And maybe he’s a little hungry, too, because the single rice ball he had during lunch wasn’t filling enough.

“Fine. Just because it’s food. What do you wanna eat?” Soonyoung asks, looking at Seungcheol’s nose, too nervous to make eye contact.

_You,_ Seungcheol’s mind replies automatically, but he keeps his mouth shut, pretending to ponder a little more on Soonyoung question. He’s not feeling particularly hungry right now - his appetite had slightly dwindled after breaking up with Younghee - and that had just been a lame excuse to hang out with Soonyoung. And of course, he’s got to keep his grubby hands off innocent Soonyoung - it’s not time...yet…. being celibate is making him crave for sex even more. 

“Surprise me.” Seungcheol throws the car into gear, pulling away from the kerb.

“Well, if you wanna stay in the neighbourhood, there’s this Japanese place that has really good udon, or if you want, we could go hunt for rice cakes but the broth is super spicy that you won’t feel your lips for three days.” Soonyoung’s practically a human version of a restaurant guidebook; thanks to his parents’ love of good food. 

Seungcheol smiles, stealing a glance at Soonyoung’s lips when he mentions it. “I was thinking if we could sit somewhere, have a drink.”

“But I’m underage, so I wouldn’t know…”

“Tea, preferably. I’m not a big fan of coffee.” Seungcheol continues.

“Oh.” It takes ten seconds for Soonyoung’s brain to understand that Seungcheol’s not talking about alcohol or bars. “If that’s the case, I know where we can go.” He says with a smile.

Ten minutes later, they enter a sweet little tea shop just off the corner of Soonyoung’s apartment, which Soonyoung’s mum goes to every Sunday for her book club discussion.  Seungcheol’s expression is unreadable, but it’s obvious that he feels out of place as he follows Soonyoung inside. He doesn’t say anything though, politely thanking the middle-aged waitress who seat them at a table right in the middle of the shop. All around them are little old ladies in frilly dresses sitting at the tables, chatting and knitting, and lilting classical music fills the air at a respectable volume.

“What can I get you boys?” The waitress hands them some menus, and she’s doing a good job at keeping a neutral expression, like beguiling young men come into the shop regularly.

The menu has nothing but tea and finger food, printed in swirly script that makes Seungcheol squint to read the fancy names, and he gives up trying to comprehend the words. “Just get me what he’s having.”

Soonyoung orders a pot of breakfast tea (even though it’s in the afternoon) and an assorted cookie platter. Once the waitress leaves, he lets out a laugh when he sees Seungcheol frowning, judging the interior décor.

“Why are you laughing?” Seungcheol’s words makes Soonyoung laugh even harder, and he cracks a tiny smile just looking at how happy and adorable the boy sitting across him looks.

“This whole thing. You, sitting in a dainty little tea shop with pretty little drapes and embroidery.” Manly Choi Seungcheol sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the round tables with pink tablecloths - he’d be better off in a club or something, slut dropping down to the floor, not sitting across Soonyoung with a pot of tea and finger food that can barely fill him up.  

“The jacket makes it weirder; right?” Seungcheol says, and Soonyoung nods with a titter. Seungcheol shrugs his leather jacket off, and it turns out that he’s only wearing a muscle tee underneath, his huge biceps exposed for the whole world to see, and everyone within ten feet of them - mostly ladies of all ages - turn around to stare at Seungcheol, who basks in the attention with confidence. That immediately shuts Soonyoung up, and he looks down into his lap, staring at the little bulge in his pants - it’s the perfect time and place to have a boner, yay!

“You said you wanted to talk to me?” Soonyoung mumbles, feeling hot all over.

“Well, yeah. But you look so cute, I can’t remember what I wanted to say.”

Soonyoung blushes even redder, if it’s even biologically possible. Choi Seungcheol in his stupid muscle tee, just called him **cute,** which means that Little Soonyoung will be hanging around in his pants for a while.. **.**

“But it’s nice to spend some time with you.” Seungcheol leans back into his chair with a tiny smile playing on his lips. The waitress returns to their table, looking visibly flustered in Seungcheol’s presence, and serves them a steaming pot of tea, along with some sugary snacks. She even pours out a cup for each of them, stalling for time, shamelessly fluttering her eyebrows at Seungcheol, whose gaze is fixated on Soonyoung. The waitress leaves soon enough when she realises that she’s never going to get Seungcheol’s attention, and her departure gives the pair the privacy they need. 

They both sip their teas, letting silence fall between them. Soonyoung starts overthinking: is he still blushing? He’s got to learn to calm down whenever he’s around Seungcheol, for goodness’ sake! The way Seungcheol’s staring at him with an intensely piercing gaze makes his heart beat faster and louder, and he’s expecting Seungcheol to come up with a teasing comment any second now…

Soonyoung needs a boost of sugar to counter Seungcheol’s potential remarks, and he’s got an eye on that one chocolate cookie with rainbow sprinkles on the platter sitting between them. The rich chocolatey goodness makes him salivate, and he can already taste it on his tongue as he reaches out to grab it with trembling fingers. And like in Those Romantic Movies (that Soonyoung’s mother watches), their hands touch, hovering over that single cookie, even though there’s an assortment of other equally palatable biscuits on the plate. There’s a zing of frisson in the air, and their eyes meet for about half a second before Soonyoung quickly retracts his hand, sitting on them, like he’d been electrocuted. Seungcheol takes the biscuit they both wanted; but he suddenly leans forward towards Soonyoung, who instinctively moves back as Seungcheol gets closer and closer until their faces are inches away from each others’....

“Open up.” Seungcheol’s voice is low, and it sends tingles down Soonyoung’s arms. Seungcheol’s holding up the cookie right in front of Soonyoung’s lips, prepared to feed him right in front of everyone else in the tea shop.

“I-I can feed myself!” Soonyoung panics, trying to grab the biscuit from Seungcheol’s hands, but the man is more agile, quickly hiding the treat behind his back.

“Open up, mochi.” Seungcheol repeats with a teasing smile, amused at how flustered Soonyoung looks. He waves the biscuit around, and a couple of crumbs fall to the floor. Everyone is turning to look at them, amused by their playfulness.

Soonyoung tightens his lips, shaking his head. Feeding each other (albeit one-sided, in this case) is a very couple-y thing to do; but it’s their fault that they’re in a very couple-y cafe in the first place. He’s feeling warm all over - this whole thing is a mistake. Coming here was a mistake. Following Seungcheol was a mistake. Why the absolute fuck is Choi Seungcheol, aka his best friend’s big brother being so nice to him? If it had been Hansol, Seungcheol would’ve eaten the whole biscuit in half a second, just to spite him.

“Do you want this cookie?” Seungcheol teases, dangling the coveted biscuit inches away from Soonyoung’s lips.

Soonyoung feels ridiculous, like he’s a dog waiting for a treat. His eyes trail the cookie Seungcheol’s holding in front of him, and he’s aware that the ladies seated at the tables nearby are closely watching their antics.

“Y-you can have it!” He finally says, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.

Seungcheol sits down, a smirk playing on his lips. “Thank you, mochi.” He starts nibbling the cookie, keeping eye contact with Soonyoung, before he goes for a big bite; and the cookie is gone in seconds. There are some rainbow sprinkles stuck to the corner of his mouth, but he swipes it away with a sensual flick of his tongue.

Goddammit, Seungcheol can even eat a cookie sexily, and Soonyoung subconsciously licks his own lips. He can’t take his eyes off the fine human specimen sitting across him, wondering if this is all real. It could be one of those dreams, and yeah, Seungcheol’s been popping up in them a little too frequently lately. Grr.

Seungcheol even licks the crumbs off his fingers, one by one. “Thanks for hooking me up with your cousin.”

“Oh?” Of course Soonyoung’s mind takes it the wrong way - his mind is still replaying the way Seungcheol had eaten that cookie., his gaze currently locked onto Seungcheol’s lips. Did Seungcheol take him all the way here to tell him that he’s dating Bumzu?

“He called me about the job.” Seungcheol adds in clarification.

Job...

Seungcheol had been referring to the possible vacancy Bumzu has at his studio. Idiot, idiot Soonyoung, whose brain is only useful for natural sciences. If someone could kindly establish the study of love from a scientific point of view, Soonyoung would gladly take that up as a college major so he could understand how the heart works in these kinds of matters, instead of interpreting each word that leaves Seungcheol’s mouth as an innuendo….

“He said that there’s no opening at his studio, but he’ll help me ask around.” Seungcheol stirs his tea absently.

“Ohhhhhhhhh.”

“I’ll find a job elsewhere, I guess. Time to make myself useful for once.”

“You’ll be great.” 

“Thanks, mochi.” Soonyoung melts every single time Seungcheol smiles at him.

Soonyoung takes a sip of his hot tea to distract himself and burns his tongue in the process.

_Calm down Soonyoung, it’s just Seungcheol. It’s not even a date. Calm down, breathe..._ Soonyoung gives himself a pep talk.

He opens his eyes to find Seungcheol staring at him, his expression filled with worry. “You okay, mochi?”

“You make me super nervous.” Soonyoung mutters, looking at the embroidered tablecloth. 

“Hey. It’s just me.”

_Exactly, because it’s **you.**_

“Just give me a moment.”

Seungcheol gives Soonyoung some space, letting the boy collect his thoughts.

“Better?”

Soonyoung exhales deeply, internally giving himself a pep talk. _It’s just Seungcheol being his normal flirty self, it doesn’t mean anything…._ “I think so.”

“So, how was school?” Seungcheol asks casually, just to start a simple conversation. 

Soonyoung answers it simply, telling Seungcheol about his boring literature class, yet Seungcheol pays attention, hanging onto his every word.

Soonyoung finds it surprising how simple it is to talk to Seungcheol once he gets over his nerves. He stops thinking about his actions, letting himself be natural – they’d known each other for years, after all, so there’s no reason to be awkward. Eventually, the banter turns towards the past, reminiscing about the time when Soonyoung had been in grade school and Seungcheol in middle school: the first time they met.

“I remember the first time I met you.” Soonyoung smiles, as he relieves the memory. “I was seven, and Han invited me over to play. Your mum made you in charge, and you didn’t even want to look at us.”

“You guys were always studying, anyway.” Seungcheol interrupts, taking a sip of his tea. He remembers the two little boys colonising the kitchen area, diligently doing their schoolwork, and talking about advanced subjects, like algebra, which clearly wasn’t taught in the second grade, since Seungcheol’s seventh grade maths class had just started that topic. Back then, Seungcheol thought it was super uncool, to babysit his little brother and his best friend when he could’ve hung out with his friends, playing football outside, or playing video games.

“Hansol would always say: ‘Soonyoung, come to my house to play’, and I’d agree, because my parents were never really home. But we’d read books and do our homework and talk about space...” Soonyoung rants, picking up a biscuit, munching on it. “The only playing we did was when Han got that huge Lego set for his birthday.”

Seungcheol smiles, as an image of nine-year-old Hansol and Soonyoung working on a Lego model of the Death Star from Star Wars (which had over 3,000 pieces) for a few hours every day after school pops up in his mind. “Nerds. You guys worked on that Lego thing for like two weeks, I think.” Seungcheol had half a mind to sabotage the Lego set – like destroy part of it when the boys weren’t looking, or hide some of the blocks – but he never stooped that low, even though he thought it was unfair for him to take care of the boys.   

“Then he got paranoid when his grades dropped to an A minus, so he stopped.”

“Did you guys complete that thing?”

Soonyoung nods. “Eventually.” 

“Nerd.” Seungcheol repeats.

“Shut up, buttercup.” Soonyoung huffs.

Seungcheol blushes at his old nickname, before he lets out a laugh. It’s the second time Soonyoung’s called him that this week, probably to irritate him, but he finds it endearing.  

His parents had gotten him a stuffed teddy for his ninth birthday, and he’d been glued to it for a couple of years, and finally growing out of his stuffed bear phase when he entered middle school.

His dad was the one who’d tease him all the time, asking, “Where’s Buttercup?” during dinner (mainly because Mrs Choi banned Buttercup the bear from the dinner table).

And baby Hansol would point at his big brother with a wide smile, and precociously reply, “There he is!”

Hansol had been the one who’d christened Seungcheol with such an adorable nickname, and it persisted for a while, until Seungcheol stepped into high school and banned everyone in the house – especially Hansol - from calling him that ever again. To him, it sounds like a curse, reminding him of his childhood days, but when Soonyoung says it….

It’s almost magic.

Affectionate, even, making his heart flutter.

Seungcheol would be lying if he says he doesn’t like little Mochi calling him Buttercup.

The poor old bear now sits on a high shelf in his room, watching over him, especially when he gets down and dirty with his partner-of-the-week, back from his player days.

Poor Buttercup the bear.

“I’m not complaining or anything, but Han really was super studious back then. Even now.” Soonyoung’s saying, interrupting Seungcheol’s brief trip down memory lane.  “That’s why I kept watching you play games. I wanted to play fun things, not study after school.” Back then, Seungcheol was twelve, excited over the brand-new PS2 his father had bought. He’d play religiously after school every day, a variety of games - shooting games, racing games; sports games - and Soonyoung would be hovering nearby, hoping for a chance to play, but he’d been too scared to ask. Seungcheol ignored him, of course, annoyed by his nerdy little brother and his friend - why were they so uncool? He was in charge, but they didn’t have to stick to him all the time.

“You’re pretty smart now, though. All that hard work is paying off.” Says Seungcheol, as he scrutinises Soonyoung’s innocent, adorable face.  

“Hansol is smarter.” Soonyoung shoots back quickly. Fact – Hansol’s class valedictorian, and Soonyoung’s always played second fiddle to his best friend, not that he minds.

Seungcheol sighs. “That kid is going places. It’s a burden to have a brainiac for a little brother.” He knows how proud his parents are of his baby brother’s accomplishments, and all he is to them… a disappointment.

“Nah, I think you’re street smart. That’s also important.”

“Right.” Seungcheol lifts his teacup, taking a sip of the now-lukewarm beverage. Self-doubt starts clouding his mind, but he tries to push all the negative thoughts away; he wants to enjoy his precious time hanging out with little Mochi.

Speaking of time…

“Hey, it’s getting late. You have important things to do tomorrow.” Seungcheol checks the clock on his phone – time really flies when you’re having fun, and they’ve been sitting there for hours, exchanging random stories, relieving old memories. Outside, the sun is setting, and the street lights are illuminating the darkening roads as night cloaks over the city.

Soonyoung’s almost forgotten about the school science fair, his Seungcheol-addled brain all squishy and fluffy and mushy at how sweet and gentle Seungcheol’s been all evening. He even gets the bill, while Soonyoung’s trying to dig for his wallet in his backpack, so now they’re even (from the time Seungcheol piggybacked on his money at the convenience store, asking for Soonyoung to pay for his stupid jumbo box of condoms. Did he finish it already?)

They leave the tea shop together, exiting to the jingle of the doorbell; the middle-aged waitress waving them off, asking them (Seungcheol) to come again. Soonyoung almost expects Seungcheol to do a disappearing act, and leave him there in the middle of the sidewalk; but the older man lingers around, adjusting his leather jacket.

Now what?

To Soonyoung, it had seemed like a date, their conversation marked with funny banter, added with the romantic ambience - the only thing Seungcheol needs to do is hold his hand and walk him home...

“Let me walk you home.” Seungcheol says, out of the blue, looking at Soonyoung.

Soonyoung trips over nothing, faceplanting onto the ground when he hears Seungcheol’s sudden offer - can he read minds? “I’ll be fine, my house is just down the street!” Soonyoung’s flustered, as Seungcheol helps him to his feet.

“You can’t even walk properly, mochi; what if you hurt yourself on the way? I know you’re falling for me, but you don’t have to do it literally.” Seungcheol keeps an iron grip on Soonyoung’s forearm, and his voice is light, with serious undertone.

It hits Soonyoung right there and then: Seungcheol knows.

Seungcheol knows about Soonyoung’s stupid ole crush on his best friend’s stupid ole big brother, who happens to be Seungcheol himself.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

What’s a boy to do?

His legs feel like jelly, and if Seungcheol isn’t holding onto him, he’d probably fall flat onto the ground once more. He turns as red as a tomato at the revelation, and he gets even more nervous when Seungcheol leans in to whisper in his ear.

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep it a secret from Hansol.” The low rumble of Seungcheol’s voice in his ear sends shivers down Soonyoung’s spine.

_He knows._

_He knows, and he wants to keep it a secret from Hansol._

Soonyoung smiles at the thought of sharing a little secret with Seungcheol. Still, his mind wonders – to what extent is their dirty little secret? Things have certainly gone into murky waters now, and Soonyoung knows that he’s not just the little brother’s best friend anymore…

So...are they dating now? Soonyoung wants to ask, but he can’t find the proper words, and he’s rendered mute when Seungcheol suddenly reaches out to grab his hand, intertwining their fingers together. It seems like old times, when Seungcheol would hold Soonyoung’s hand to help him cross the road, but this time, there’s a new kind of fluttery feeling in Soonyoung’s tummy, and he’s excited.

Holding hands, walking down the street, like a real couple.

Only the rumble of cars passing by on the road fill in the silence between them; and the short walk to Soonyoung’s apartment feels like an eternity as their surroundings melt away, where no one else exists except for them.

“This is me.” Soonyoung says, reluctantly letting go of Seungcheol’s hand when they stop at the front door of his building.

Seungcheol nods, but keeps a strong gaze locked onto Soonyoung’s cute little face - the boy really can’t hide his expressions well; and the look of disappointment Soonyoung’s wearing makes Seungcheol want to whisk him away to a faraway place where they can spend more time together. Still, life gets in the way - Soonyoung’s got an important event tomorrow: the school science fair, which Seungcheol knows is the highlight of Soonyoung’s year.

“Now you have to walk all the way back to your car.” Soonyoung braves himself to look at Seungcheol.

“That’s fine.” Seungcheol smiles, and on impulse, he reaches out to touch Soonyoung’s cheek.

Abort! Abort!

Seungcheol’s brain is on red alert – touching Soonyoung is a big fat no, but he’s on autopilot, caressing Soonyoung’s face, who practically melts under his touch, his eyelids fluttering close.

It’s even softer and squishier than he’d ever imagined, and mochi is definitely the right nickname for him. And to Seungcheol, it feels like he’s holding the whole world in his hands.

Soonyoung wishes for time to stop - he absolutely loves the warmth and gentle touch of Seungcheol’s calloused fingers on his face. He can feel Seungcheol’s warm breath getting nearer - and he’s so, so ready for that kiss he’d been dreaming of, puckering up his lips, ready to receive Seungcheol with all his heart and his butt.

Soonyoung holds his breath, anticipating the warmth of Seungcheol’s lips against his…

He waits and he waits, his heart beating faster when he senses Seungcheol’s light touch at the back of his nape, guiding him closer.

Then a delicate pressure between his eyebrows, the quick brush of lips that disappears almost immediately.

A forehead kiss from Seungcheol, that’s what he gets.  

Seungcheol pulls away quickly, stepping back from Soonyoung, who’s still standing in front of him with his eyes closed, and his lips all poised up for a smooch.

He’s just there for the taking - so tempting - but Seungcheol lets it pass. The youthful innocence on Soonyoung’s face makes him feel guilty, and he watches Soonyoung slowly open his eyes, confused.

“Goodnight, mochi.” Seungcheol whispers with a smile, ready to leave at a second’s notice. “See you around.” He doesn’t wait for a response from Soonyoung, already striding away in the dark, leaving the boy with his own confused thoughts, trying to compute what had just happened…

“Night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is late :( 
> 
> but this one is fun :D

“Did you even sleep at all last night, Kwon?” Jihoon asks.

It’s D-day, and Soonyoung’s practically sleepwalking beside Jihoon as they circle the gym for one last check before they open the science fair to the masses. And to answer Jihoon’s question, no, Soonyoung had barely slept last night, overthinking about the forehead kiss Seungcheol had given him; but he’s not going to disclose that information to Jihoon – that’s none of his business, and he’d probably add some snarky comment about it, and Soonyoung doesn’t need Jihoon badmouthing people on this very important day.

Around them, booths are all set up with various projects and homemade contraptions. Everything seems to be running smoothly; nothing out of place – Jihoon had probably gone over the tiniest details too many times for anything to go wrong. They pass by some nervous freshmen, before stopping in the corner of the gym to assess the fruits of their labour of the past few weeks, plotting in Hansol’s kitchen, and it’s all worth it to see everything set in motion.

But rather than the relief that usually comes when he knows he’d done a job well done, Soonyoung’s feeling confused, his thoughts filled with a certain Choi and a certain kiss that didn’t happen… Soonyoung knows that been pretty much absent in organising the science fair this year, spending most of his time pondering about his insufferable crush on his best friend’s big brother.

“You made me wake up early.” Soonyoung tries to stifle a yawn. Truth - Jihoon had scheduled an early alarm for Soonyoung so he’d arrive early for last minute preparations; only to be late himself that morning – Soonyoung had dozed off outside the gym, waiting for Jihoon to come. Soonyoung leans against one of the poster boards to rest his eyes for a second, too tired to handle Jihoon this morning, who looks all worked up, ready to counter with his own argument.

Right then, Hansol approaches them with some iced coffees - Jihoon needs his daily caffeine shot in the morning so he can function properly (not that he needs it, he looks energized and raring to go), while Soonyoung needs it today to stay awake. Soonyoung thanks his best friend before he takes a sip, but he’s still as tired as ever. At this rate, he could fall asleep standing.

“Soonyoung, buddy. Aren’t you excited for this?” Hansol’s grinning from ear-to-ear, oblivious towards his best friend’s drowsiness. “It’s our fifth time organising the science fair together.”

“You can keep that for your opening speech.” Soonyoung says, gulping down his coffee with such haste that a few drops stain his shirt.

“And the projects this year seem interesting. I’m eyeing that food chemistry thing by Seungkwan and Chan.” Hansol continues, glancing at a couple of boys putting the finishing touches to what looks like a kitchen in the middle of the gym; Seungkwan loudly telling Chan what to do, that everyone within a ten-foot radius could hear him.

“We’ll be open to the public in half an hour.” Jihoon checks the time on his phone. He’s feeling even more energized, thanks to the coffee Hansol had given him – he could pump a thousand push-ups right there on the spot! “Everything seems fine.” He glances around the gym, letting out a tiny sigh of relief. There’s a wave of excitement in the air, and it sends a shiver of thrill down Jihoon’s spine. Weeks of helping Hansol and Soonyoung organise the science fair had admittedly been a lot of hard work, and it’s all coming to an end soon. Organising a large-scale event for extra credit had initially seemed like a horrendous idea put forward by Mrs Jung, his science teacher, who is also his aunt. But he needs it to get his mum off his back for his average B in science (typically Asian, Jihoon’s mum wants straight A’s for her son), just so he can get into a brilliant university like his sister Younghee, who’s perfect in everything - the only thing she did wrong was dating town playboy Choi Seungcheol (at least in Jihoon’s eyes).

At first, Jihoon thought he would be cast aside by Hansol and Soonyoung, since they’re practically inseparable since elementary school. But they’d been welcome, easily accepting them into their nerdy little group. There’s Hansol, all-around know-it-all, class valedictorian since first grade; Soonyoung, who’s most likely to become an astronaut with his unabating interest in astronomy, and Jihoon, Marvel aficionado and gamer extraordinaire who’s also proficient in several programming languages, including Java and C#, at his young age. Together, the three of them make the dream team - the coolest kids in school; at least among those who care about their grades. To Jihoon, it feels nice to actually have friends, for once, though he’s not sure if he could still hang out with Hansol and Soonyoung once the science fair ends...

“I’ve got to go set up my own booth.” Hansol says, already drifting off to the table reserved for him in the center of the room. His materials aren’t in place yet, waiting to be pinned up to the poster board for presentation; he’d been discussing the science fair budget with Mrs Jung earlier, almost forgetting about his own incomplete booth.  

“I’ll help you.” Jihoon offers. “Stay here, Kwon, just in case anything goes wrong.” He catches up with Hansol, leaving sleepy Soonyoung alone at the corner of the gym.

“Right.” Soonyoung nods, making himself comfortable in his spot. Despite finishing an entire cup of coffee, he almost dozes off, leaning against a freshman’s poster about photosynthesis, much to the poor kid’s consternation.

Soonyoung drifts in and out of sleep; his brain in a semi-alert state. He sees a familiar form heading towards him; the authoritative stance and broad shoulders hinting towards the one person that he never fails to think about daily…

Choi Seungcheol.

Soonyoung pinches himself, thinking that he’s hallucinating from the shot of caffeine he’d taken. No matter how many times he blinks his eyes, he sees no one but Seungcheol, who’s now purposefully striding towards him. He’s wearing a white button-up shirt under a fitted burgundy suit jacket, paired with black skinny jeans, stylishly ripped at the knee. His usually unkempt hair (read: sexy bedhead) is stylishly swept to one side; and he looks like a fucking model, grabbing everyone’s attention and leaving girls swooning in his wake. Why is he all dressed up, making a presence at the high school science fair?

(Maybe he’s a secret judge Jihoon had invited for laughs. Ha.)

“What are you doing here?” Soonyoung blurts out, when Seungcheol stands in front of him with a boyish grin. It all seems too real, so Soonyoung instinctively reaches out to squeeze Seungcheol’s bicep, just to make sure. It’s rock hard - he’s 100% Not Fake. Seungcheol hated the science fair ever since he had been in school, so why would he attend now? The question lingers in Soonyoung’s mind as he rubs Seungcheol’s arms, secretly liking what he’s feeling underneath the layers of clothing. 

“Are you done fondling me?” Seungcheol teases, but he actually doesn’t mind Soonyoung touching him all over.

Soonyoung steps back, now wide awake and embarrassed that he’d been touching Seungcheol (in a non-sexual way!) right in front of a bunch of freshmen, who are whispering amongst themselves - wondering who Seungcheol is, because he's clearly not a high schooler. Soonyoung’s aware that everyone - especially Seungcheol - is looking at him, and his ears are bright red… why, oh why does he keep making himself look like an ass in front of Choi Seungcheol, whom he’s known for years?

“So. Where’s your project?” Seungcheol asks, glancing around, drinking in the atmosphere, which is filled with nervous anticipation of students about to present their science projects. A couple of girls nearby squeal when Seungcheol’s gaze sweep over them, and Soonyoung doesn’t know what to feel about that… Seungcheol’s like a celebrity in their school, especially among the juniors and seniors, notorious for his sexcapades - everyone either wants to be him, or be with him.

“Oh.” Soonyoung swallows nervously, lifting his chin up to appear more confident. “I don’t have one this year, but Han does. I think he’s over there, opposite Seungkwan and Chan.” He points to the middle of the gym, where Hansol is busy preparing for his project presentation, pinning up a poster with Jihoon’s help; barely noticing his brother’s presence.

“First, I don’t know who Seungkwan and Chan are. And second, I came here to see you, god knows I’ve seen my baby brother enough in my lifetime.” says Seungcheol, staring straight at Soonyoung.

“Okayyyy.” Soonyoung cracks a tiny smile - Seungcheol came to see him. Him, Kwon Soonyoung!

“So, what are you doing now?” Seungcheol adjusts his jacket, scoping out the area. Everyone’s bustling around frantically, nervous excitement apparent in the air; while some nearby kids are watching their exchange, stunned at Seungcheol’s handsomeness.

“Supervising.” Soonyoung replies, trying to stifle a yawn.

“So you’re technically doing nothing right now.”

“Technically, but Jihoon would beg to differ.” Soonyoung quips, and Seungcheol laughs, because he knows the last thing Lee Jihoon would do is beg.

“Jihoon’s one of a kind.” Seungcheol says, his playful expression turning into one that Soonyoung can’t decipher, but it doesn’t take a fool to know that Jihoon equals Younghee equals Seungcheol’s last fling, aka his most serious one yet. Time to change the topic…

“Why are you really here?” Soonyoung probes. He still wants an explanation why Seungcheol has decided to grace the school science fair with his presence.

“C’mon.” Seungcheol grabs Soonyoung’s wrist, leading him out of the gym, into the quiet corridor. Finally, Soonyoung can breathe properly – being in a room filled with overexcited science enthusiasts feels suffocating, especially when he’s not partaking in any of the activities.

“You okay?” Seungcheol asks, when Soonyoung leans against the wall and lets out a little sigh of relief.

Soonyoung manages a bright smile. “Never been better!”

“That’s my mochi.”

_His mochi!_

Soonyoung’s heart skips a beat at the endearment, and he feels like happily pirouetting down the hallway, but he becomes aware of Seungcheol’s intense gaze pinning onto him. They’re the only ones in the deserted hallway; everyone else are in class, or in the gym. He’s glad to be free of the science fair set-up, but now he’s alone with the love of his life, who’d turned up unexpected, and unannounced, even wearing a suit jacket. He doesn’t know what to make of the whole situation – Seungcheol has absolutely nothing to do with the science fair, so he must be here to see Soonyoung….

…possibly to continue where they left things off last night…?

Soonyoung wouldn’t mind, of course, but why does it have to be now, and at school, of all places?

Soonyoung sucks in his breath, then braves himself to make eye contact with Seungcheol, who’s inching closer towards him, wearing that model-worthy million-dollar smile.

“Maybe I want to do a little experiment of my own. Hansol’s not the only one who can do those nerdy science things, y’know.” Seungcheol gently places a hand on Soonyoung’s shoulder.

“G-good luck with that.” Soonyoung stammers, surprised to find Seungcheol invading his personal space, yet he doesn’t mind at all. He catches a whiff of Seungcheol’s musky cologne, and excited tingles run down his arms. His brain quickly turns to fluff in Seungcheol’s presence, and Seungcheol’s vague explanation doesn’t offer any hints about his real reason being there, but he goes with the flow, interested to see what would happen…

“Can you help me with it?” Seungcheol asks; his deep, sexy voice enthralling Soonyoung to no end.

Soonyoung can’t help but suspect that Seungcheol’s got some underlying intention with his cryptic ‘experiment’, but it still makes him curious about what Seungcheol could be up to. “What’s your hypothesis?”

Seungcheol bends closer to whisper into Soonyoung’s ear, pushing him up against the wall, which is cold and hard against Soonyoung’s back. “I’ll tell you after I test it out.”

But before Soonyoung can say anything else, Seungcheol leans down to give him a quick kiss, right on the lips.

The gentle brush of Seungcheol’s surprisingly soft lips against his makes Soonyoung’s neurons fire like mad, it’s like there are fireworks in his brain. His hormones come into play, making his body respond to Seungcheol’s sudden kiss. A squirt of dopamine that boosts his happiness, added with a bit of oxytocin – the ‘love’ hormone – washing over in his brain like a tidal wave, leaving behind a warm, fuzzy feeling in his gut, as he presses up against Seungcheol’s chest, kissing him back ever so gently, savouring this single moment, one he’d been dreaming of since forever in a series of wet dreams starring himself and his best friend’s big brother.

Seungcheol pulls away all too soon, an unreadable expression on his handsome face. Soonyoung can only stare at him with wide, unbelieving eyes – what had just happened? Did it _really_ happen? His heart’s going into tachycardia, and he can hear his pulse thumping in his ears. He knows that he’s blushing like mad, probably a shade matching with Seungcheol’s expensive-looking jacket –

He just wishes that it could’ve lasted longer, already missing the warmth of Seungcheol’s lips against his. He’d been delightfully surprised at the gesture, never expecting it to happen in real life…

“My hypothesis: you’d be surprised if I kissed you.” Seungcheol says, his voice low and tastefully husky; and the heavy look in his eyes hint that he’s dead serious.

Dammit, he’s right, which means his hypothesis is correct. Soonyoung doesn’t know how to respond - his limbs feel useless; his heart is beating a million times a second that it feels like it’s going to explode out of his chest. Half of his brain is rejoicing over the kiss, while the other half is screaming a loud NO at him, worried about what Hansol might think if he sees what they’re up to.

But surely that kiss had to mean something. Maybe Seungcheol used to be notorious for kissing everyone and everything, but it seemed that he’d put a lot of thought in this particular kiss…

The intense look in Seungcheol’s dark brown eyes makes him feel like melting to the floor as the rest of the world around them dissolves away. He feels light-headed, clutching onto Seungcheol’s arms (rock-hard biceps!) to stabilise himself. Unable to make eye contact, Soonyoung settles his gaze onto Seungcheol’s luscious lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them over and over again…

“Now I gotta do it two more times because the best experiments usually run triplicates.” Seungcheol’s saying, cupping Soonyoung’s mochi cheek in his hands.

Soonyoung nods weakly; he’s giving all of himself to Seungcheol, trapped under his charming spell. And it happens again, this time a tender, lingering kiss that signifies nothing but perfect. God, Soonyoung could kiss Seungcheol forever, loving the gentle way Seungcheol’s lips move against his own, tiptoeing around safe waters, before Soonyoung pushes forward and deepens the kiss, with a fierce intensity he never knew he has, all lips and teeth and tongue – all that he feels now is Seungcheol, and only Seungcheol.

He doesn’t care who’s watching, because all that matters now is that he’s kissing Choi Seungcheol, the man of his dreams…

“What the fuck?!”

…only to be caught red-handed by an absolutely livid Choi Hansol, who’s wearing a rare frown on his face.

Soonyoung immediately springs away, parting from Seungcheol’s lips with a little _pop_. He turns to look at Hansol, whose expression doesn’t hide anything. He tries breaking free from Seungcheol’s arms, but Seungcheol is reluctant to let him go; clinging to Soonyoung tightly, which makes Hansol even more annoyed. To Soonyoung, it’s like a dream and a nightmare rolled into one: kissing Seungcheol, only to caught doing so by Hansol. Jihoon is right behind Hansol, unable to hide the expression of pure disgust on his face at the scene before him.

Confusion seems to fuel Hansol’s anger, since he doesn’t know who he’s angrier at: his brother or his best friend. Seungcheol’s always been thinking with his dick, romancing anything that walks on two legs since he’d hit puberty. And there’s Soonyoung, who’d never even expressed interest in dating, so all of it comes as a surprise to Hansol, find him in liplock with his brother, of all people!

Hansol feels betrayed, and he’s got an important presentation right now. His mind is a muddle of thoughts - he doesn’t know what to make of this… _thing_ between his best friend and his big brother.

His face is beet red, which scares Soonyoung, since he’d never seen Hansol this way. Always the pacifist, Hansol seeks peaceful ways to solve conflicts; but this time, Hansol looks like he’s ready to murder the both of them on the spot. His jaw is quivering with anger, and he clenches and unclenches his fists, trying to contain himself.

Soonyoung finally manages to break free from Seungcheol’s arms, still breathless from that kiss. “Han...” He struggles to find the correct words, because the circumstances are already self-explanatory –

Before Soonyoung could even say anything, Hansol turns on his heel and storms down the hallway, fuming silently. 

There’s a sinking feeling in Soonyoung’s gut, as he watches his best friend leave the scene. He wants to follow Hansol and apologise, beg for his forgiveness – he’d do anything to ease Hansol’s anger. But he’s rooted to his spot, clutching onto Seungcheol, who looks unperturbed at his little brother’s outburst.

“Let him cool down for a while.” Seungcheol says, gently rubbing Soonyoung’s shoulder.

Jihoon is slowly shaking his head with disappointment, massaging his temples. This is the last thing they need for the science fair – drama, because that’s for the drama club to handle. And just when he thinks that the science fair is going swimmingly, Seungcheol just has to waltz in and disrupt everything, leaving chaos in his wake. Just as he did to Younghee, Seungcheol had corrupted Soonyoung with his captivating charm, and Jihoon knows, there’s no chance of saving him anymore. To Jihoon, Seungcheol’s like a computer virus, destroying everything that he touches beyond repair.

Jihoon gives Soonyoung one last judgemental, withering look – which seems to say, _I **warned** you not to mess with this guy_ – then he goes back into the gym without a word.

Soonyoung can feel his heart plummeting to the ground, smashing into a million tiny pieces – with one single kiss, he’d managed to alienate both of his closest friends.

How could something so right be so wrong at the same time?

His head is spinning, round and round – unable to grasp what is happening right now. If it weren’t for Seungcheol holding him tightly, he would’ve fallen to the floor and never gotten up.

“Let’s get out of here.” Seungcheol slips in hand into Soonyoung’s, and together, they leave the school compound.

* * *

Soonyoung glances out of the car window, taking in the cars surrounding them, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. He’s sitting in the passenger seat of Seungcheol’s car, slowly getting annoyed by the songs playing on the radio, none of which suits the sombre atmosphere in the car. They’d been driving around silently for a while now, going around in circles and getting trapped in the midday traffic jams. He doesn’t know where Seungcheol is taking him, but he’s not bothered to ask. His lips still feel oddly warm; the memory of Seungcheol kissing him in the school hallway still fresh in his mind, and he way Hansol had stomped off after catching them together still haunts Soonyoung - how is he going to fix things with his best friend? And even if he had always wanted to kiss Seungcheol, he’s not liking the way things had turned out now: on the road to nowhere, and escaping Hansol, Jihoon and the science fair.

“Why?” Soonyoung doesn’t mean to, but his voice comes out whiny.

“Because I wanted to test out my hypothesis.” Seungcheol replies calmly, keeping his eyes on the road. His ambiguous response infuriates Soonyoung a little, and so does his laissez-faire attitude – shouldn’t he be worried at his brother’s once-in-a-blue-moon outburst earlier?

It’s exactly Seungcheol would do – kiss someone and go about his business like it hadn’t been a big deal. It almost seems like Seungcheol’s mocking him, and his deep interest in scientific research. Again with the hypothesis, which doesn’t make sense. Had it been a joke, or a dare from Seungcheol’s asshat band members? Maybe he’d fucked everyone else in town, and Soonyoung’s the last one standing. Maybe this is a prelude to a quick fling that would end up in inevitable heartbreak, adding Soonyoung’s name to a long list of Seungcheol’s former beaus…

“You know that I really like you, right?” Soonyoung turns to look at Seungcheol. His cheeks are flushed, it’s the first time he’s voicing out his true feelings, laying his heart out for the one he loves the most. It might be a game to Seungcheol, but to Soonyoung, this is his pride on the line.

Seungcheol’s expression is indifferent. “Mm.”

Soonyoung turns away again, crossing his arms over his chest. Turned down, with a little grunt. He really can’t read Seungcheol at all, with his layers of facades – one minute he’s all sweet and loving and funny, then suddenly, he’s all clammed up, like he’s almost scared to show his true feelings. Rather than letting it get to him, Soonyoung lets it go, because he knows that he’d wheedle it out of Seungcheol, somehow.

“Hansol was super mad.” Remembering his best friend’s angry face, Soonyoung wants to throw himself out of the car and hope that he gets run over, because he doesn’t know how to face Hansol and explain everything, now that his secret’s out of the bag.  

“I’m not sorry, mochi. Han’s just got to make peace with it.” Seungcheol turns his flicker on to change lanes – he’d just spotted the entrance to the highway. He’s done going nowhere; and he’s hoping to get somewhere – literally and figuratively. Literally, because he’s sick of driving along the suffocating jammed roads of the city; and figuratively in the sense that he wants something _more_ with Soonyoung, something different compared to those flings he’d had with so many people all these years.

He’d known Soonyoung almost his whole life, who always caring for him in his own little way. The others were only interested in his erotic prowess, all hoping for seven minutes in heaven. He indulged them all – quick shags in unlikely places, unmeaningful one night stands, going on numerous fake dates so he could have someone pretty hanging onto his arm. It was like some odd achievement for him, going around and breaking hearts. It kept him distracted from how cruddy his future was; he’d barely been able to get into college, as his parents wished for him; so he constantly found solace in some stranger’s arms, losing his underwear at random apartments more times than he could count. Seungcheol never became emotionally attached to them, adept at separating sex and relationships – sex was just sex, nothing more. Maybe people called Seungcheol the world’s greatest lover, but he doesn’t even know what love is – not until he realised that Soonyoung’s been the only one who truly cared for him. He’d always been there, a quiet presence, amusing Seungcheol with the obvious ways he tried to hide his massive crush, and even going as far to helping him to get hired.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about last night, so I figured that I should just do it.” Seungcheol says.

Soonyoung’s heart begins to race, remembering how Seungcheol had left him hanging, giving him an anticlimactic forehead kiss after their tea shop ‘date’, rather than a passionate liplock that they both really wanted in the first place. And he’d pulled through, turning up at school just to do what he needed, proving his feelings with actions rather than words.

“So why are you all dressed up?”

“Dammit, mochi. I’m trying to tell you important things, and you question what I wear?”

“Answer it.”

“…first impressions matter…?”

Soonyoung chuckles. “My first impression of you was that you were a stinky, stuck-up meanie who did nothing but play video games all day.”

“I meant your first impression of me as a potential romantic interest.” Seungcheol deadpans.

Soonyoung blushes furiously, at a loss of words – Seungcheol still has that effect on him, catching him off guard. Then he realises the weight of Seungcheol’s words – did he really just say _potential romantic interest_? Soonyoung knows from last night that Seungcheol acknowledges his crush, but for Seungcheol to actually reciprocate Soonyoung’s feelings – he feels so high, like he’s floating in the stratosphere. 

“You look nice, by the way.” Soonyoung compliments shyly, glancing at Seungcheol’s suit jacket, appreciating the way it fits him perfectly in all the right places.

“Thanks. Uh, you too.” There’s a nervous tinge in Seungcheol’s voice.

“This old thing? Everyone wears it at school.” Soonyoung quips, tugging at his coffee-stained, school-regulated shirt.

Seungcheol cracks a smile at the joke, then returns his focus onto the road. Cars are speeding on the open road, all heading to their own destinations; but Seungcheol doesn’t even know where he’s taking Soonyoung. He begins accelerating, almost matching the speed limit of the highway. He’s sick of being stuck, and he’s finally taking control of his own life. It feels liberating, to be able to do so, and he knows, he’d be fine with Soonyoung by his side.

“Where are we going?” Soonyoung asks, as he watches the world fly by in a blur.

Seungcheol presses his lips together, gripping the steering wheel tightly when he remembers that Soonyoung’s missing school and the science fair at that moment. “I don’t know.”

Soonyoung doesn’t want to go back to school, remembering the dark look on Hansol’s face. He doesn’t think that he can face Hansol right now, at least, not until he gets his mind clear. Maybe a little break between them would be good. In fact, escaping the city seems enticing… “Could we go to the countryside?”

Seungcheol nods, and takes a turn at an intersection, taking the highway that leads out of the concrete jungle of the city.

They drive on and on, through long stretches of roads, passing by tall buildings that turn into houses, leaving the densely populated city and its suburbs. Drowning in their own thoughts, no one says another word throughout the journey, the sun slowly tipping towards the west as they drive onwards to destination unspecified. Seungcheol only stops the car when he’s sure that they’re far away as possible from civilisation, with nothing but trees all around them.

They exit the car, breathing in the fresh countryside air; a nice change from the suffocating smog that constantly envelopes the big city. Soonyoung takes in his surroundings: a calming, picturesque view of the countryside laid out before his eyes, lush greenery surrounding him from every angle. The song of birds fills the late spring air, fighting to harmonize with the sounds of livestock from a nearby farm.

This far away from the city, everything seems to move slower, at its own pace – the perfect atmosphere to wind down and escape from life, even if it’s just temporary. The science fair seems like a different lifetime away, and so does the events that followed: Soonyoung feels like he’d landed in some alternate universe where his problems doesn’t exist. He sits on the grass, amidst puffs of dandelions; and he picks one up, closing his eyes to make a wish.

_I hope Hansol and Jihoon won’t be mad at me forever, and I hope the science fair goes well._

He brings the dandelion closer to his lips to blow its seeds away, but the white puffs stay intact, as if glued to the stalk, never budging despite Soonyoung’s efforts. He huffs and he puffs, his face turning red, but only a few seeds float away into the sky, making the dandelion only half-bald.

Seungcheol had been leaning against the hood of his car, watching Soonyoung’s antics from a distance. Now he lopes towards the boy, crouching next to him, wearing an amused smile. Plucking another dandelion, Seungcheol lightly blows onto it, and its seeds disperse like little feathers into the sky, seeking their own adventures as the cool afternoon breeze carries them away.

Soonyoung watches the dandelion seeds fly away, high into the sky, hoping for better days ahead. He feels silly, for being unable to blow on his own dandelion – maybe he’d picked one that isn’t ready yet, and he weighs the flower in his hand, silently cursing the traitorous young dandelion seedlings that made him look like an idiot in front of Seungcheol. Seungcheol doesn’t seem to care, comfortably lying on the grass next to Soonyoung, even in his impeccable suit jacket.

“This is nice.” Seungcheol says, closing his eyes for a moment.

The weather is just perfect: the sun peeking out occasionally from between the clouds hanging in the sky, slightly warming them up as they basked in its rays. A cooling breeze sweeps through the trees, making its branches dance; balancing the otherwise warm weather to a bearable, mild temperature. Seungcheol opens his eyes to look at the infinite canvas of the blue sky above him, fluffy white clouds drifting by in their own little parade.

“That cloud looks like a cat.” Seungcheol suddenly points up heavenward. Following the direction in which Seungcheol’s finger is pointing at, Soonyoung looks up too, at a distorted cloud that doesn’t even resemble a feline like Seungcheol had claimed.

“It looks more like a turtle.” Soonyoung argues.

Seungcheol lets out a throaty laugh. “Lie down, maybe you’ll get a better view.”

Of course, Soonyoung complies, and Seungcheol points at the same cat cloud, explaining its discerning cat-like properties, tracing out its shape. “See? Those are its ears. And the body. It doesn’t have a tail, though. Probably one of those minx cats.”

Soonyoung listens intently, then makes his own judgement. “Now it looks like Batman.”

“Your imagination is questionable, mochi.”

“Now, that one looks like a mochi.” Soonyoung points to a perfectly spherical cloud that trails after the cat-Batman hybrid cloud.

“Nothing can be as mochi as you.” Seungcheol turns to glance at Soonyoung, thinking of touching his mochi cheek, but he doesn’t do it. “I’d say that cloud is a dumpling.”

They spend some time lying there on the grass, cloudgazing; pointing out oddly-shaped clouds to each other. Soonyoung’s excitement takes over easily, and he lets his imagination loose, yakking away, going as far to claim that one cloud looks like a breakdancing armadillo wearing cool aviators and a leopard-print scarf. Seungcheol simply lies back, soaking in the sun rays and Soonyoung’s positive energy; as he listens to the boy’s nonsensical ramblings about random characters inspired by the clouds.

Times like this, he realises how much younger Soonyoung is, so starry-eyed and free of the weight of the world, skipping along at his own pace. He’s just a child; his greatest worry is probably not getting full marks for a test – and that sobers Seungcheol up, because how ridiculous could it be, falling in love with someone much younger than he is. How socially unacceptable would it be for him to start dating a teenager – his little brother’s best friend, no less? It sounds like the plot for a bad teen flick, and it probably wouldn’t end well. Still, it’s laughable, because he’d been heralded (by the douchebag members of Hard Top, his failing band) for sleeping with a million people, even being called a sex god in some circles. But imagine the backlash if he tries to woo an underage boy – it’s probably illegal, too…

Maybe he could wait a bit more for Soonyoung to grow up and come of age, but that would take a few more years. In the meantime, he could probably fix up his life – get himself together, and hopefully become a stable partner for adult Soonyoung in the future.

No more screwing around, of course. He’d sworn off sex, anyway; and he’d probably get arrested if he tried to come onto Soonyoung now.

He could probably work on his drumming skills, while he waits for Soonyoung’s cousin Bumzu to call him back with a job offer. Hell, he could go a step further and go job-hunting. Surely there’d be someone out there willing to hire some good-for-nothing like Seungcheol. At least he’d be a good-for-something, unlike the useless tools of Hard Top – how could he mix around with such plebs? The last time he checked in with them, they’d been dealing with drugs and firearms, and Seungcheol doesn’t need to be involved with the wrong side of the law.

Feeling energized and optimistic, Seungcheol turns to look at Soonyoung, who’s still talking. Years of fucking around, being waste of space – Seungcheol’s going to turn things around and do something worthwhile in his life. He’d never felt like this before, never had the motivation – and it’s all thanks to the adorable boy lying next to him, brewing up ridiculous stories based on the clouds.

“You make me want to be a better person.” Seungcheol blurts out, loud feeling thankful for Soonyoung, who cared for him the way nobody else did.

Soonyoung stops in the middle of a story about a dwarf – inspired by the clouds, of course - and looks at Seungcheol, who’s smiling fondly at him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Soonyoung prompts, because he senses that Seungcheol has a lot to get off his chest.

Seungcheol hesitates for a second, his smile fading off his face. Then he gives in, turning to look at the sky before he opens his mouth to speak.

He tells Soonyoung everything, how empty his life had been since high school. How he never felt good enough as a drummer, knowing how failed his band is. He tells Soonyoung that he’s going to pull himself together and get things done for once, because Soonyoung is inspiring him to be the best version of himself. How he’s not going to pretend anymore, because it feels right – Soonyoung deserves to be loved, and he’s going to give that to him. 

“For once in my life, I think things are going the way I want them to.” Seungcheol exhales in relief, realising that he’d said more than he wanted to; but he knows that he could trust Soonyoung with his secrets. He glances at Soonyoung, who’s got a saccharine smile playing on his lips, joy clearly etched onto the youthful features of his face; and his eyes are sparkling, reflecting off the rays of the late afternoon sun. God, Soonyoung’s so adorable and funny and thoughtful, Seungcheol would be a certified idiot if he ever let Soonyoung go.

Seungcheol inches closer, pulling Soonyoung into his arms for a cuddle, planting a quick kiss onto his head. This is heaven, this is bliss, and this is both a happy ending and the start of something new.

And right at that moment, Soonyoung’s tummy lets out an angry growl, asking for food.

“You hungry?” Seungcheol asks teasingly.

“No, that was thunder.” Soonyoung makes a self-depreciating joke. He hadn’t eaten since yesterday, too nervous thinking about Seungcheol and the science fair. And to his dismay, Seungcheol breaks up their embrace, sitting up and checking the time on his phone. They’d practically spent the whole afternoon there, completely losing track of time.

“Come on, let’s get you food. Wouldn’t want you to lose your cheeks.” Seungcheol

Soonyoung squishes his cheeks. “They’re too fat.”

Seungcheol draws closer, and gives Soonyoung a quick peck on his cheek. “Well, I like them.”

Soonyoung’s blushing like mad, but he manages a comeback. “I like you.”

“I like you more.”

“If this is going to be a competition then I’ll win because I –“ Soonyoung’s words are cut off, because Seungcheol is already kissing him again. It’s light and gentle and warm, matching the aura of the late afternoon sun.

“I win.” Seungcheol smirks as he pulls away, then reaches out to hold Soonyoung’s hand. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Seungcheol sits on his bed in the darkness, looking at his phone. He’s fresh from a nice, long shower, reflecting over the day’s events. He’s dressed for bed, because he needs some rest after a long day, but he notices the pop-up notification on his lockscreen, so there’s no harm in checking his phone one last time before he hits the hay…

There’s a message from Soonyoung sitting in his inbox, so he clicks it open and reads the text.

_Text me when you get home! – soony_

**I’m home now, haha.**

Admittedly, they’d stayed out longer than he’d imagined – the drive back home had taken hours, and by the time they reached the city, it had almost been dinnertime. Then dinner had taken a while, both of them enjoying a nice barbecue, talking about the most random things over dinner. Seungcheol had left Soonyoung with a quick kiss outside his building, before he returned to a darkened home where his family members are already sleeping.

Soonyoung still manages to show his affection through a simple text – no one had ever checked with Seungcheol if he’d safely returned home, and his heart blooms with even more love for the boy.

Seungcheol deliberates for a while, then begins composing a new text to reply Soonyoung – hopefully it isn’t too late.  

**Hey**

**I’ll pick u up after school tomorrow**

**We’ll hang out** **😊**

_Okayyyyyy_

_Wanna talk more but my dad’s switching off the wifi_

_It’s a school night lol_

_so good night xo_

Seungcheol not sure what they’ll do tomorrow, but they’ll do something fun to cheer Soonyoung up, since he’ll have to face Hansol and Jihoon at school in the morning. Speaking of which, Seungcheol hasn’t seen Hansol since he stormed off that morning, and he’s sure that his brother will probably continue to avoid him in the near future. Maybe he owes Hansol an explanation, but falling in love doesn’t justify the need for one, because it just happens… an apology would probably be more proper. Still, he’ll let Hansol cool off for a bit, before he can even approach him.

Seungcheol’s phone buzzes again, with another incoming message. This time, it’s from one his ex-band members, whom he hasn’t contacted in a couple of weeks.

_Dude. U hear the news?_

**What news?**

_Easier to show u_

_We’re all waitin 4 u outside. Lets hit the town_

Seungcheol’s conflicted. He really doesn’t want to mix with Hard Top anymore, but he’s piqued by the supposed ‘news’ they spoke of. He can already hear them from his window, generally being rowdy and honking their car horn in the middle of the night.

Too cool to say no, Seungcheol grabs his jacket and keys, sneaking downstairs, hoping that he wouldn’t be making a bad decision. He jogs down the front driveway to see his former bandmates yelling at him to join them from their battered old car, its radio turned on too loud. Some of them are already drunk, singing at the top of their lungs. They’re disrupting the peace of the neighbourhood, and Seungcheol knows that he could only shut them up by agreeing to join their little midnight excursion.

So he heads towards them, bundling into the backseat, which reeks of smoke and alcohol and sweat. They welcome him with high fives and nods, and someone shoves a bottle of soju into Seungcheol’s hands. Clearly, they’re looking for trouble tonight, zooming down the quiet neighbourhood avenue, leaving behind a plume of acrid smoke in their wake.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cues red velvet's rbb c:
> 
> i thrive off feedback lol pls yell at me in the comments about your feelings towards this chapter ^^  
> hopefully the next update won't take an eternity for me to post >.<

**Author's Note:**

> won't have a specific update schedule for this >w< but i'll try my best! :D
> 
> the embedded images _should_ work if there's problem viewing it pls tell me!!
> 
> ######  feedback is highly appreciated 


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